Deep Waters
by AbbyF809
Summary: An old enemy of Reds comes back and threatens Lizzie's life. I won't tell more:)
1. Chapter 1

Hello and wlecome to my next story, I am so happy you decided to join me once again:) (Of course I hope there will be some new readers and am welcoming you too;)

Well...this one will be more action,and a bit more humor but I dont want to tell you too much. Although I have only a rough layout for the story in my head I already want to apologies for an OOC experiences:) Happens sometimes when I try to write humour;)

Now maybe one little thing before we start:I decided to begin with a Prologue, so dont wonder that it is short, but I promise the chapters will be longer. You know me;)(or will get to know me:))

Now have fun:)

Disclaimer: I dont ANYTHING related to the Blacklist and I dont earn any money with the story!

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Prologue

The water was shimmering in the light of the pale moon. It looked almost like silver, liquefied and ready to be reformed into something new. The little girl, of not even four years was standing at the railing, looking over the ocean and hoping to see a whale or dolphin. Her mommy had told her that they lived in the waters beneath them and sometimes, when you wished for it very much and asked them nicely, they showed themselves to grant you a wish. Though still young, the girl was smart enough to suspect her mom trying to help her get over her uneasiness around water. She wasn't scared and she could swim already but she didn't like to do it if not needed or asked for. But she did love whales. Especially those white and black big ones. Her private teacher had told her that they were actually dolphins and not whales but their name was still Killer_whales _so the girl couldn't stop thinking of them as whales.

Now she wanted to see them. To have them all for herself. Without any bodyguards, teachers or her parents. A wish all for herself, without anyone telling her what to wish for, the railing came closer and the girl's hands reached for the metal. The white sleeping gown was flying in the wind and a chill made her shiver slightly. She closed her eyes tightly and wished for a creature to appear for her. When she opened her eyes again, she scanned the horizon curiously and was overjoyed to see something break the surface in the distance. She leaned forward, maneuvered her small body between the metal bars, and narrowed her eyes to see better, what had answered her plea.

A jolt went suddenly through the ship and the machines roared up like an angry lion. The girl slipped, trying to hold on to the railing, but it was slippery from the salt water and her hands slid from the metal and she felt her body fall. Fall into the cold and suddenly dark, almost black water. Her body hit the surface hard and in the attempt to scream, she swallowed seawater. Her arms and legs fought to get back to the surface. The water felt to her like thick syrup, not wanting to let her go and the noises in her ears were foreign and loud. Although her eyes were tightly closed, she instinctively knew where the surface was supposed to be. She started to panic but somehow she reached the surface, gasped for are and started screaming immediately. Her d trembled uncontrollably, her lips starting to turn blue but she screamed on, blinking her eyes rapidly to get the stinging water out of them. The seconds felt to her like hours until the light on the ship lit up and hurried footsteps were heard on deck. She realized her mind getting slower in synch with her movements and then she heared a loud splash and the world went black.

tbc...

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So, wht do you think? Who could the girl be?:)


	2. The Calm Before The Storm

Hey ya all:)

Since the prologue was kinda short, here comes the first chapter already:)

I tried a bit of humor, but I think I failed miserably;););)

Thanks for all the favs, reviews and follows:) You guys are the best!

Here ya go with the first chapter! Have fun!

**Disclaimer: Blacklist is not mine(for more see Prologue:))**

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Chapter 1

"This is getting ridiculous, Lizzie dear."

The sickly sweet voice of Raymond Reddington was going through Liz' mind like sharp needles. Yes, it was getting ridiculous, but she just couldn't help it.

"I don't care, Red. There is no need at all to follow this guy by rowboat. We can safely use a car and just walk the rest of the way. Liz knew she would win this argument. One way or another, but she would not put one foot into this sorry excuse of a rowboat Red had found leaning at the shore. She eyed the water suspiciously, not feeling at all happy about what she saw. The depths of the river were murky and looked uncomfortably cold, not to forget the brutality with which they were moving downstream. No…not one foot anywhere near it.

"You will have to go alone if you insist on traveling in this can." Liz was not surprised to see the deep frown on Red's face and his narrowed eyes focused solely on her. No doubt, trying to find out what was wrong without asking. Liz couldn't care less. She didn't know what was wrong herself, so how could he find the answer?

"Are you afraid of water, Lizzie?" his face cleared of the frown and she could see plain curiosity in his eyes.

"Hah…" she scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively. "You do realize that I head to pass a lot of swim tests to actually graduate as an Agent, right? Jeez…and I thought you were supposed to be the master mind here." She watched him jump out of the boat, still holding a long rope in his hand and walk slowly towards her.

"Interesting. You are scared only of wild waters then." He smiled at her, but hidden underneath the boyish grin, was a hint of concern that Liz didn't want to acknowledge for the time being. Before she could think of a comeback, her phone rang in her pocket.

"Please excuse me for a moment." She drawled, earning a glare from Red.

"Hi Ressler."

Red rolled his eyes and turned his back to her in frustration. Ressler had the worst timing ever. Red looked back over his shoulder, seeing Lizzie walk a few steps away from him, still talking into her phone. Red had heard from Sam that Liz always had been cautious when it came to water and she never swam in any kind of lake and wouldn't even get near the ocean. Sam had never told him though, that it was that serious. He was anxious to question Lizzie about it, although he was sure it would be more painful and harder than pulling teeth out of the mouth of a hippo. Red looked at the sun standing high and squinted, finally closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. One ear perked when it noticed, Liz' voice getting louder. Other than listening, Red did not move at all.

"I will not do that, Ressler."

Silence.

"You are crazy."

Red grinned crookedly. _That's my girl._

"I'll tell him."

With that sentence, she seemed to end the call and march back to Red. _Euh…trouble, _Red thought and sighed. He didn't move, but waited for Liz to stand beside him and sigh as well.

"We're in trouble." Her voice was even and serious.

"I gathered that from your very joyful conversation."

Liz didn't answer and Red finally looked over to her.

"That bad?"

Liz shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't think it is going to be bad for you, since you love to run after bad boys."

Red grimaced, but didn't say anything.

"I was telling everyone about my vacation for weeks. How happy I was to FINALLY get more sleep than three hours and to just laze around on the couch without someone, who shall remain anonymous, calling me every five minutes to ask me to breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or some kind of other meal." She finally paused to inhale and turned to Red. "I don't get how you can eat so much without gaining ANY weight. Do you have any idea what I have to do to get all those calories out of my body after all of your dinner invitations?"

Red burst into laughed suddenly, bending forward, trying to get enough air into his lungs.

"I am happy to make you laugh at my expense." Liz commented dryly. "Do you want to know what is going on now or not, Red?"

"There is always time for laughter, Lizzie. Especially when it is you making me laugh."

Liz only rolled her eyes, tapping her food impatiently.

"A friend of yours contacted the FBI."

Red became instantly serious, facing Liz and frowning. He didn't have any friends who could contact the FBI to reach him.

"He is threatening. Says he wants you dead…so basically the usual scenario."

Red was concerned by the fact that Liz wouldn't look at him. There was more to tell, he guessed.

"Whom exactly is he threatening, Lizzie? Me or the FBI?"

Liz mumbled something under her breath and shuffled her feet, kicking casually at a rock in the process.

"I'm sorry…." Red said and leaned forward until his face was mere inches from hers. "I didn't get that, can you repeat it for me? The age and the hearing…you know how it is."

"You're not old, Red." Liz chuckled and glanced at him.

"I very well may not be, but that would mean that you were talking as if you drank too much and I didn't want to step on your delicate toes, my dear."

"Stop it. You wouldn't care when a ton of bricks fell on my toes."

Red gasped in mock hurt.

"Of course I would. If someone let them fall on them that isn't me."

"Oh, so you say that you are allowed to hurt me and other are not?"

Red thought for a moment and then grinned.

"Basically…"

"No…" She stopped him with a hand thrust forward. "Don't finish the sentence. I don't want to know."

Red couldn't wipe the grin off his face, but he still wanted to know what was going on.

"Sooo….who was that friend?"

Liz sighed and Red recognized her reciting face.

"Half an hour ago a man named Carlos Harris called the HQ and wanted to talk to you. When they told him, they didn't have any contact with you and so on, he didn't buy it. Started to threaten some FBI Agents and said, that he was waiting for you to be brought to him as fast as possible. The longer it take the more people would die." Their features darkened simultaneously, while she was explaining the situation.

"You are still not telling the whole story, right?"

"How would you know that?"

"I know you."

"Barely."

"More than you think."

"From afar."

"Enough."

Liz grumbled, throwing her arms into the air.

"You always have to have the last word, do you?"

"Yes."

"It's annoying."

Red laughed, patting Liz' shoulder.

"It's fun for me."

"Of course." Liz scoffed. Abruptly, she turned around, walking in the direction where they have left their car and Dembe.

"Lizzie." Red called, looked back at the boat and then the rope in his hands. He threw the rope into the boat and hurried after Liz, who was already vanishing behind a bush. Thanks to his workouts he made himself do twice a week, he was able to catch up with her quiet quickly.

"You can't just walk away like that around here." He admonished, making Liz sigh deeply once again. "Don't sigh Lizzie, I mean it. The guy we are supposed to chase could be anywhere and what would you do if he jumped out of this bush here?"

"I would kick his butt." Liz answered, satisfied with herself to be able to find a good comeback.

"You're not prepared, he would surprise you and…."

"Stop it, Red. I'm fine. I am a big girl and can take care of myself."

While arguing, they finally reached the black car, standing hidden in the shadow of a huge tree. Dembe was leaning casually on the driver's door, smirking strangely at them.

"What are you grinning about?" Liz asked, huffing with exertion after the brisk walk over stones, grass and gravel. _Maybe I should ask Ressler to workout with me more often._

"Ressler called." Dembe told her, but looked at Red.

"Obviously he didn't think she would tell you all the details."

Liz closed her eyes and muttered a curse under her breath. Why did Ressler always had to stuck his nose into her business with Red? _Workout with Ressler is scratched, then._

"Pray tell." Red cooed, stretching his arms behind his back and clasping his hands together. "Seems that little Ressler is actually learning…and a snitch." He grinned maddeningly. "I like it, but Lizzy you should be careful around him. Who knows what other secrets he knows and decides to tell me."

"What? You mean you don't know all of them already?"

Before Red could answer, Dembe cleared his throat and started to speak.

"Shall I tell him or do you want to?"

"You two are unbelievable, you know that?" since it was a rhetorical question, no one bothered to answer her.

"Alright…" she huffed, now seriously in a bad mood. "He threatened me, ok? No big deal. I am getting threatened every other weekby some creep, so I've already gotten used to it."

She saw Red's playful smile vanished within seconds and she couldn't help but roll her eyes once again.

"Don't make that face, Red. I know what that means. You will drive off into the sunset and take care of the problem without contacting me for at least a month…"

"Lizzie this would be…"

"And I do understand…" she interrupted his beginning sentence rudely. "…but I am not going to sit at home like some damsel in distress and wait for my hero to come back."

"You mean I am…"

"And I do NOT mean that you ARE my hero. It was just a figure of speech. The bottom line is: I am going with you wherever it is you are going to go to get this guy."

"But Lizzie…"

"No, Red! I am not taking a no for an answer. I will come with you."

Lizzie inhaled deeply and was fascinated by the different emotions flashing across Red's face, settling finally on an amused grin, which confused her like nothing else. What was he smiling about? Didn't she just yell at him and demanded for him to change his plan?

"Actually, Lizzie. What I wanted to say was that it would be too dangerous to leave you alone. I don't trust the FBI and since I don't have the slightest clue, who this man could be, I would prefer to keep you close."

The dumfounded look on Liz's face was priceless. The fish imitation was something Red could look at all day long. If he had the time for it anyway, but regrettably he didn't.

"Close your mouth Lizzie. You'll catch viruses and bacteria."

"Flies." Dembe corrected.

"I know. But I wanted to be innovative."

Liz shook her head slowly, not believing what was happening. Those two would be her death.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dembe was driving the black, luxurious car through the streets of Washington, without a goal actually, just to give Liz and Red time to come to terms with the new situation they have been thrust in. He could hear them arguing since they stepped into the car, Red insisting that Liz should stay with them for the time being and Liz refusing vehemently. Dembe could actually understand where Liz was coming from. Finding out, that her husband was spying on her and never loved her and that her live was built on lies, she simply wanted to have some sort of control and also stay as independent as possible. But he understood Red too. Not knowing who your enemy is means not being able to predict his next move or even intentions and the authenticity of his threats. Dembe guessed that the ultimate decision would be up to fate. Liz and Red could be awfully stubborn.

"Please drive me home, Dembe." Liz' voice floated into the front of the car and Dembe was wondering why her voice was so calm and collected, when only a few minutes ago she had been yelling again.

He glanced into the review mirror and saw her leaning back into the seat and looking out the window. It seemed as if they haven't reached an agreement yet. Red was looking out of the opposite window and grumbled something. Within ten minutes they had reached Liz's house and Dembe stopped the car, only five meters from Liz' car.

"I will drive my own car to the blacksite, alrght?" She didn't wait for an answer, closed the door, rummaged through her bag and got the keys out.

"She isn't staying with us?"

"She agreed to one night."

"That's a small success."

"I would say it is a big success, considering who I am trying to convince to stay with me." Red said proudly, not leaving Liz out of his sight. She was opening the door and throwing her bag on the seat, before she turned around to look at Red who had rolled down the window.

"What now?" she snapped, but ceased all movement, when she saw Red's eyes fixed on something underneath her car. And then she heard it. A ticking.

tbc...

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So that was the calm before the storm:) What ya think?


	3. When Things Go Boom In The Afternoon

First of all;

I was blown away by the response to the story and I want to tell you all that I am SO thankful for that!

Everytime I sit down and write I think of ya and thank you all in my mind (and grin like crazed one because I am so happy you liked it:))

so: **THANK YOU**

Here comes the next chapter...kinda a kick off for the action in the story:)

Hope you'll like it:)

P.S.

I'm not very happy with the title...my creativity kinda left me for that;)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine!(For details see prologue)

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When Things Go Boom In The Afternoon

"Don't move, Lizzie."

Liz' rigid body obeyed but her brain had a hard time coping.

"Are you nuts?" she whispered with a shaky voice. "There is a bomb ticking in my car."

"It's not IN your car." Red answered, while slowly opening the door and stepping out of the car.

"Did you lose your mind, Red? Stay in the goddamn car." Liz was feeling like screaming. But she didn't. She felt like crying. But she didn't. The only thing she found herself able to do was stretch out her arm and reach for Red's hand that he was offering her.

"The bomb is UNDER your car, Liz. You are standing in a laser beam." Red's voice was calm, not showing any kind of stress or concern. His eyes were clear and roaming over her body and finally finding its fix point back at her feet. "We won't be able to shut it off." He told her seriously and without trying to give her false hope. "But we WILL get you out of here, clear?"

Liz nodded and squeezed her hand that was still clasping Reds. She heard him call for Dembe but blood was rushing in her ears and she was barely able to concentrate on anything else except for standing still and holding Red's hand. She pressed her eyes close until she saw white dots exploding inside, but that was too much of a remainder of her situation. In a few seconds she could be one of those dots. Exploding into a mess of pieces. She gasped and her eyes flew open.

"Lizzie?" Red's voice startled her and she blinked her eyes rapidly. Suddenly she was aware of every single drop of sweat on her face, a light breeze trying to sooth the burning fear, Red's skin against hers, the very loud ticking and Dembe kneeling at her feet.

"Dembe will glide a metal bar down the back of your leg, ok? Once it touches the ground and he leans it against the car, you will step forward very slowly, alright?"

Liz nodded wordlessly and closed her eyes once again. She felt the metal touch the back of her knee and could hear it scraping against her black jeans while Dembe slid it down.

"Red…" she whispered. Why didn't he go away. Hide in the car or something. No, instead he leaned towards her and whispered, "I'm here, Lizzie."

Liz smiled at him but her features stayed strained and her brows furrowed.

"The metal is in position." Dembe informed them quietly, straightening up and standing next to Red.

"Can you two do me the favor and go back to the car?"

Without hesitation, the word "No." shot out of Red's mouth. He clenched his fingers around hers harder and shook his head. Dembe watched them and stayed also at their side.

"Please, Red. I don't want to endanger you."

"No way. I am staying." He answered with a low, hard voice. "Now start to move."

Liz took a shuddering breath and put her left leg in front of her first. She held her breath, but nothing happened. She breathed out, closed her eyes for a second to gather her courage and finally, very slowly, lifted her right leg. The metal bar was still standing and she didn't feel any movement…yet.

"Good, now let's get out of here." Red announced, now with an impatience in his voice, that Liz was actually starting to feel too. Dembe turned around and took the point, in hope to get to the car as fast as possible and be ready to drive off the second Red and Liz were inside.

But he only made it to the driver's door, when a scraping sound made him swing his gaze to the metal bar.

"GET DOWN!"

A split second later, an earsplitting explosion ripped through the air. Dembe heard Liz scream, a dull thump and glass shattering. He was crouched behind the car, being jostled by it when it was slightly moved by the blast. A colorful curse burst out of him when a sharp piece of metal fell not even a meter away from him on the ground with a loud crash. His hands flew over his head, covering himself from other flying debris.

Then everything was still. Almost eerily quiet. Slowly Dembe lowered his arms and equally slowly, sounds started to penetrate his ears. That was the moment where he realized that it wasn't quiet around him, but that he'd been deafened by the loud explosion. Crackling was the first thing he heard and then came the wailing of sirens in the distance. With some difficulty, Dembe got his legs under himself and started rounding the car, while taking in the damage caused by the bomb. Liz' car was in flames and all the windows in a radius of ten meters were shattered. A few black spots adored the asphalt around the car, but it didn't seem as if there was anyone hurt…at least not any stranger.

"Mr. Reddington? Miss Keen?"

When he didn't hear any response, he sped up his steps and was momentarily rooted to the spot when he saw his friend. Red was laying partially under their car, obviously covering Liz' body with his own. His coat was torn at some places and a small amount of blood could be seen on his hand, which was braced against the ground, keeping his weight from crashing the woman underneath him. Dembe kneeled down and laid a hand on Red's shoulder.

"Raymond?"

"We're ok." He answered, breathing heavily and raised his head a few inches. His eyes franticly searched over Liz body, not seeing any bigger injuries besides a little bruise on her forehead, Red heaved his body from hers and spoke rather loudly.

"Are you alright, Lizzie."

He was satisfied when she nodded and sat up, but he was worried about her rubbing at her elbow repeatedly. But there was nothing he could do about it right now.

"We can't stay here." He told both his companions, while looking around to make sure no one was around yet. "We have to move, honey." He grabbed Liz under her arms from behind and pulled her up, into a standing position in front of him.

When she turned to him, he smiled, gesturing to his ear.

"Now I am really deaf."

The grin she gave him was somewhat wobbly, but at this moment it was more than he had expected. He smiled back softly, leaving a hand on her arm to maintain the contact, while he turned to Dembe.

"Dembe, is the car ok to drive?"

"Yeah…we just have three more air conditioners." He answered, gesturing to the missing windows. Red shrugged his shoulders, opening the door and maneuvering Liz inside.

"I don't care, as long as we don't have an oven in there. That was hot enough for at least a year."

They closed the doors and Dembe set the car in motion. Liz grabbed the door handle, holding on for dear life, when Dembe sped up. They were all quiet, busy with their own thoughts when they passed multiple fire trucks. Finally, Liz coughed slightly, gave her burning elbow a final rub and turned to Red.

"Why didn't we wait for them? They will know who's car it was anyway."

"Yeah….but that is not the problem. I don't want another surprise like that one to sneak up on us and I do have the strange feeling that this Carlos was actually watching us."

"What? There was no one there." Liz knew that she was trying to sooth her own fried nerves. Usually Red's gut was right about those kind of things, but right know she would prefer not being told all the details of his assumptions about this guy. But of course, her wish wasn't granted.

"This man…" Red continued. "Wanted me to see you die." He paused, clenching his jaw. "Do you know what that means, Lizzie?"

Liz thought for a moment, looking back and forth between Dembe and Red. Hard features, worry in their eyes and grim expressions, it would have been almost heartwarming if there wasn't the detail of who those two were. Especially Red didn't do heartwarming when there was an immediate threat to her life. So she couldn't do more that sigh and hang her head and answer in a small voice.

"You will keep me near`"

She was startled by Red's sudden laugh. This was not good. She felt his hand on hers and looked up into his face, his eyes practically boring into hers.

"Lizzie, I will watch you like a hawk and keep you closer than my gun."

tbc...

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Let me know what ya think;)


	4. A Heart Shall Be Your Safe House

Hey ya all:)

Once again I am so grateful for all the reviews! You made my day like you cant imagine!:)

Here comes a little breather before we speed up again;)

Have fun:)

**Disclaimer:** Blacklist is not mine(For details, please go to Prologue)

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A Heart Shall Be Your Safe House

Lizzie was peering out of the window but couldn't see anything. The car they had changed into just half an hour ago had black windows in the back but unfortunately, they were also black from the inside. The only thing she could identify were trees and, when they stopped the car, vague shadows of people walking.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked Red, when her curiosity got the best of her.

"You don't want to know."

"Yes, I actually do want to know."

Red scratched the top of his head and propped his elbow on the door. Liz could see that he was thinking hard to decide if he should tell her. He seemed to have reached a decision when he let his arm fall back to his side and twisted his upper body in her direction.

"A friend of mine, years ago, owned a cabin in the Patuxent Research Refuge. He sold it to me around five years ago. I've never been there for more than one day, but it is the perfect area to hide. As far as I know the cabin is in no records so it should be safer than any other safe house."

"Isn't that a closed area And don't you have to get the keys first? Liz questioned surprised.

"The North Tract and National Wildlife Visitor Center are the only areas open to visitors. Everything else is closed off, yes…except for the people who live there." He paused, smiling crookedly.

"I have a bag with all the keys I own in the trunk."

"I didn't know that the refuge had a village inside." Liz said, ignoring his answer about the keys, taking it for a diversion.

"I wouldn't call it village. There are three cabins in total and they are in quiet a distance from one another. Don't worry, it's very private and quiet. Even if you took walks every day for hours, you probably wouldn't meet another soul. You can spend your vacation there."

Liz chuckled humorlessly.

"Are you sure you didn't hire this guy to keep me from having a relaxed vacation all on my own?"

The man next to her only laughed and to her surprise, leaned sideways and patted her leg.

"No, Lizzie. I wouldn't need to hire someone for that. I would do the job just fine."

"You know what the scary thing is, Red?" she asked, glaring at him. "I actually believe you."

With that she turned back to the black window and started to rub her elbow once more, in hope to ease the stinging.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Liz slowly unfolded herself out of the car, stretched her tired muscles and looked around, intrigued by all the green and the fresh smell of nature all around her. Living in a city like Washington and having the job she had, left her with only a small amount of time to get out of the city and tank some fresh air and natural vibes.

The cabin though, was located in the middle of a thick forest and made out of dark, sturdy wood. It wasn't huge but Liz assumed it was big enough for a family with at least three kids to live in it. The roof was overgrown with moss and gave the cabin a wild charm but also radiated a certain peaceful aura. Liz smiled when she spotted the smiling scarecrow standing on the right side of the house. It was a long time ago that she had seen one of those and she had always thought they exuded the perfect mixture of cuteness and intimidation. Almost like Red…he was just a bit sexier….

"Do you like it?" the man in question asked her, stepping up behind her.

"Oh yes." She smiled over her shoulder. "Sam and I went only for two vacations and they weren't exactly into nature. With Tom…well…" She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder, giving some comfort but the memories were still painful. The memories of a lying husband who took her on vacation to beautiful places, where he killed people while Liz was swimming in the pool or shopping for a souvenir for Sam. This vacation had, in her mind, always been one of the best weeks of her life but sadly it all had been a lie and the memories were tainted now with the sick feeling of betrayal.

Suddenly she was acutely aware of Red's hand against her body and she slowly reached for it. _Maybe it's time for new memories, _she thought and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

"You will love it here, sweetheart. We can do some horse riding if you want."

Astonished, Liz moved around to see Red's face better.

"You ride?"

"Of course. How do you think am I keeping up with the rich and mighty? My legs alone are just too short for that."

She saw the amusement in his eyes and she just shook her head. This man was good for a surprise every minute of the day.

Dembe walked up to them, after banging the trunk closed and nodded to the cabin.

"I'll go inside and see if everything is alright."

"A grandiose idea, my friend. We'll wait here for you."

They watched Dembe step on the single step before the entrance and slowly insert the key into the lock. The popping sound told them that the door had been still locked and a sigh of relief left Liz. For today, she just wanted a relaxed evening and maybe she could talk Red into letting her drive to the mall. She needed clothes after all and as far as she knew Red, he wouldn't allow her to go back to her house for them. _Good thing I left Hudson with Ressler for today. I'm sure he won't mind dog-sitting a few more days. He needs the company._

Gathering all the courage she had left for today, she cleared her throat delicately and opened her mouth to ask, but Red was faster.

"We can go to the mall, Lizzie. But only after I take a look at your elbow. Your hand must be already raw from all the rubbing."

She gaped at him.

"How…how did you…?"

He chuckled, slightly arrogantly, in Liz eyes, and answered not looking at her.

"Since I know you are not shocked about me noticing your rubbing fest, I will make it easy on you: I simply assumed you didn't want to sleep in those filthy clothes of yours. " he paused to let her look down at herself self-consciously, before continuing. "And I also assumed you knew me better than to ask for retuning back home to get some clothes. So the only logical option would be for us to go shopping."

"Us? Red, Dembe can drive…."

"No, no….of course I will accompany you. I thought that is the perfect opportunity for me to try to change your style a bit."

The cabin door opening interrupted them and they both looked sideways to see Dembe coming out of it with a gun in his hand.

"No one is or was in there." He informed them steadily and Red nodded in satisfaction.

"So, Lizzie. Shall I carry you over the threshold?"

"Don't bother. I don't want to break your old bones, Red."

"Were you not the one who told me that I am not old?"

"Yeah, but you were the one who told me, once upon a time, not to argue with you."

With the last word, Liz smirked at Red, brushed hair strand out of her hair and walked to the entrance, followed by a madly smiling Red and a head shaking Dembe.

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tbc...

Please tell me what ya think! Have any wishes? tell me;)


	5. The Ghost of Shopping

Here it comes guys:) A chapter that can be taken as the last quiet chapter for a while:)

And it's a bit longer! YEY!;)

THanks again for all the reviews and follows and fav's! I am beaming while writing right now, just thinking about them:)

Hope you'll like the new chapter:)(I am not so happy with the title but wel...better than nothing, right?;)

**Disclaimer:** Blackslist is no mine(for details, see prologue!)

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The Ghost of Shopping

"If you don't hold still, sweetheart, I won't be able to do that."

"Well, then simply don't! It's only an itch now."

"An itch is there for a reason and should be taken care of one way or another. And while I am here I am the one to take care of it."

"I can do it myself, you know? I've done it many times for myself before you came along."

"But now you don't have to, so don't be a wimp and stop moving or I will poke you accidently into the wound."

Liz sighed and looked down at her elbow. The bloody mess wasn't nice to look at and the stinging was driving her nuts. But on the other hand, she had worse when she was a child after falling down from trees and being stuck in too small vaults under Sam's house.

Liz flinched when Red sprayed antiseptic on the wound, instinctively trying to wrench her arm away from him, but his strong hold didn't yield.

"Shh…" Red cooed, caressing a spot over her elbow, trying to calm her. He traced her features with his eyes and smiled gently when her cheeks started to turn slightly pink.

"Now, can I start bandaging your boo-boo?"

Although Liz huffed irritably, she nodded and relaxed her arm back into his hand. He smiled at her and continued with his ministrations. Seconds later, and with only minimal pain shooting up Liz' arm, Red finished and put the bandages and Band-Aids to the side.

"All done:"

Liz pulled her arm back slowly, looking a bit out of her element, while rubbing her hand now over her scar instead of her elbow.

"Ehm…thank you." She stuttered.

"Don't look so spooked, Lizzie. You must have assumed that I am able to perform at least basic first-aid measures." The sarcasm was dripping from his tone and Liz couldn't identify, if he was hurt by her surprised behavior or if he was just feeling proud of himself to have once again caught her off guard and showed her a side of himself, Liz would never have believed existed. Before she could even start to think too much about it though, her cell phone chirped annoyingly loud. She fumbled with the button of her jacket pocket under Red's stare and finally managed to pull her phone free, seeing that it was a massage from Ressler. She groaned and closed her eyes. He must have noticed her disappearance and gotten wind of the explosion. Great.

She opened her eyes again and started to read the message.

_Where the hell are you, Keen? Your damn car exploded and you don't even find it important enough to inform me? You left me with your dog here for Christ's sake! But besides that, since I know you were with Reddington when you got the information about Carlos I guess it is safe to assume that you are somewhere safe with him for now. Don't let him talk you into anything stupid, Keen. I swear I will hunt you two down if you decide to run off for good together. Let me know if you are ok. Contrary to everyone's believe, I do care about your welfare. I will send you a picture of Carlos. Maybe Reddington will remember him or something. Take care and don't worry about your mutt. I will take care of him, but you owe me big!_

Liz smirked. The guy was just such a macho with a core like molten lava.

"Donny, I presume?" Red asked, trying to sound uninterested.

"Yeah. He's going to send me a picture of Carlos. And he told me to not run off with you."

"Ha!" Red chuckled, tapping his fingers against the wooden surface of the table they were sitting at. "Is he jealous?"

"No! Worried."

He only shook his head. "Oh Lizzie, you have to learn a lot more about men. I see that Tom wasn't the best teacher." Just when the last word left his mouth, he noticed the dark look in her eyes and he winced inwardly, wishing to plug the words out of the air before they reached her ears and stuff them back into his mouth. But unfortunately, even for Raymond Reddington the law's of physics applied without exception.

"Well...now I know where you've learned all those charming tricks to get women swooned in a flash." If Red didn't know her as well as he did, he would have believed that she was actually cracking a joke but sadly it was not what Red saw. She was angry and disappointed. Hurt and strangely enough…confused.

"That's not how…"

"I don't want to know, Red. Keep it to yourself."

She stood up, taking the phone and walking briskly further into the cabin

"Can you show me where the restroom is, Dembe?" she asked, walking past him.

Red's gaze followed her and he caught Dembe's annoyed look. _And Lizzie thinks I have a good way with women?, _he thought miserably. _I really should learn to not stuck my foot into my mouth around her._

Moments later, Dembe stepped up behind him, not saying a word, which told Red more than a slap in the face.

"I know, my friend. This was a sad and tragic performance."

Dembe still didn't say anything, but dragged a chair next to Red and sat down.

"I don't want to tell you what you should do."

"I know."

"Mostly because I don't know what I would do in your situation."

"What would you do, seeing it from YOUR point of view."

A short pause, made Red squirm. It was hard to admit, but he needed an advice.

"Be more sensitive."

"I am sensitive."

"Like a lion mother scaring a foe."

Red lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"You're getting poetic, Dembe. I guess I am starting to rub off on you."

Dembe's smile fought it's way slowly onto his lips.

"I am just saying that she is not one of the women you want to seduce to get something. Aggressive sensitivity won't get you anywhere."

"Aggressive sensitivity? Now you are overwhelming me."

Dembe opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by Liz coming back into the room.

"Ressler sent me the picture. Would you mind taking a look?" she asked, not holding the eye contact too long.

Red answered while shooting up from his chair and hurrying over to her. "No, not at all."

He took the phone from her outstretched arm, brushing her fingers with his gently. Their eyes locked for a split second, before Red lowered his gaze to the display.

The man looking back at him had white hair, seemed to be around sixty and a slightly crooked nose. His eyebrows were bushy and his cheeckbones prominent. But one thing struck Red as familiar. His eyes. His eyes were dark, almost black and remembered Red of coal. Black and lifeless.

"Red?" Liz' voice drew further away, when Red's memories slammed into his mind.

_Blood covering his eyes, pain eating away at his stomach and a ripping sensation making its way around his right forearm. Blinking the sticky fluid out of his eyes he looked down at himself, tide to a chair, hunched forward; he sees the short knife sticking out from his flesh. The heat making him sweat profusely. A groveling voice, whispering into his ear. Making him feel sick from the rancid smell coming from his mouth. He was mocking him…trying to break him. Then he saw his face. Black eyes boring into his and his cackle boring into his brain. He fell into the blackness and only wished for this nightmare to finally end._

"Oh no…"

Red's whisper made Liz shiver. This didn't sound good at all.

"What is it? You know him?"

Red nodded. Swallowed hard, rubbing a hand down his face.

"His name is Sergej Morosow. He…" Red paused. Staring at the picture and trying to suppress the memories.

"I met him six years ago while I had to attend some business in Russia. He wasn't pleased with me."

"What did you do?"

Red chuckled, still satisfied with his handiwork all those years in the past.

"I destroyed his smuggle business and brought at least five of his employees into prison. One of them was his younger brother though and Sergej wasn't happy about the occurrences and decided it was time to talk to me."

Liz hesitated. She wanted to know what had happened but she didn't know if Red was ready to talk about it. He didn't look like it, anyway.

"Ask, Lizzie."

"What…what did he do?"

Red sighed and leaned back, offering her the phone back.

"You remember what I told you about Anslo and his torture methods?"

Liz nodded.

"Sergej was more creative…more violent…and he took the situation more personal than Anslo did. He was insane." Red paused and chuckled. "Well, considering that almost every good criminal has to be a little insane to do what he does, I guess that fact isn't really a surprise." He smiled at Lizzie, who tried to smile back at him through the veil of worry clouding her eyes.

"He hurt you bad? How did you get out?"

"I wouldn't have, if it weren't for Dembe. He barged in an explosion of glorious surprise and shot Sergej in the stomach. We made the mistake not to check if he survived."

Liz glanced at Dembe, who was nodding darkly. She couldn't stop the pictures of a dying Tom finding their way into her mind and shook her head. He was dead. She saw him dying.

"So…" she started. "He wants revenge?"

"Seems like it."

"You do realize that he will do everything to get us, right?" Liz asked, sounding unsure of what to say. What could she say? She knew Red was aware how dire their situation was and she was sure that he was blaming himself for dragging her into this. Even if it was only because he was afraid to lose his pawn.

"I know." He answered, walking to her and stopping just inches from her face. He raised his arms, gripping her upper arms in quiet a strong hold, glad that she didn't pull aways.

"I won't let ANYTHING happen to you, Lizzie. I promise you that."

Liz nodded but there was something completely else ghosting around in her head. _What will I do if something happens to YOU, Red?_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The car was swaying slightly when they left the green behind them and finally hit the asphalt. The mall they were heading to, was just a few minutes away and Liz just wanted to get it over with. Red as a shopping partner was not her idea of fun. She admitted to herself that he did have a good sense of fashion but the fact that she needed his money right now was just embarrassing. Since her money and all her cards had been in the car and were most probably ash right now, she didn't have a lot of choices. Either stay in those filthy clothes for at least two days or accept Red's offer to buy her a few things. So she accepted. And already regretted it, hearing Red go one about fashion tips and what her fashion type was, what color would be perfectly matching her skin and so on and so forth. It made her partially uncomfortable that he was obviously paying such close attention to her, especially since she was still miffed about his earlier comment, but on the other hand it made her feel, in a twisted kind of way, special. Sam had been the only one that had made her feel like that. Not even Tom had come approximately close to achieve that. With him it always had been "This is too flashy, hon…please wear something else:" and "I love you honey but this is really too bright on you. You look like a Christmas tree." Or "This is makes you look bigger than you really are." He had never gone shopping with her and first of all, he never let her now that she was not only beautiful but also smart like Red constantly did. She had been just his little, pretty and quiet wife who was supposed to make him look good. In hindsight, Liz thought that she should have noticed something was odd about his behavior. That's not the way a man in love was acting.

Her thoughts paused suddenly, screeching like tires being forced from high-speed to a full stop. A man in love? She glanced at Red who was still talking about winter and spring types and listing the pro's of bright colors.

_No way…_she thought. She realized she was rudely staring but fortunately, Red was preoccupied. _He can't be into me…in this way. He is obsessed…yeah…that's it. Or maybe he's gay and has this sensitive side and love for fashon…?_

"Lizzie? Are you even listening?"

"What? Yeah… ehm…sure….red color is good."

"What? I was asking you if you want to go for dinner after we went shopping. I know Sergej is out there and all but I don't think he followed us and he would never expect us to be in a mall."

Liz blushed, feeling her cheeks growing not only warm but almost burning her.

"Sorry…yeah. We can do that."

For a few more seconds, Red didn't waver his eyes away from her, but finally he decided to leave her be for now. They were almost at the mall and he didn't want to put her even more on edge before their little shopping spree. It would be uncomfortable for her anyway.

xxxxxxxxxx

"I can't, Red. My feet are killing me and we have enough clothes to get me through a year of hiding out."

"It's the last shop. I promise you. But they have such nice dresses I would love to see on you."

A heavy breath left Liz's lungs and she acknowledged her defeat with a small nod.

"Great. I knew you would see it my way."

Liz followed him inside and what looked from outside like a little shop, was inside a huge and luxurious boutique. Red felt like home and was behaving as relaxed as she had ever seen him, but Liz herself was scared to even make one footstep inside. Everything was shining and in a neat order that made Liz more uncomfortable than the chaos of a dumping ground. She simply felt out of place.

She observed Red talking to the sales-woman and even Dembe cracking a small smile at her. When they all turned to her, looking her up and down she felt herself blush once again.

"C'mon in, Lizzie dear." Red drawled and looked back to the woman behind him. "She is a little bit shy sometimes. Especially with strangers. " They all smiled gently at her and Liz started to feel like a newborn filly, being coaxed to make the first contact with humans. She shook her head at herself and started to walk to them.

"Hello my dear. My name is Sally Andrews and I am going to try to help you today."

Liz cringed. _Before you help me, you should help yourself sister. Your voice is like nails on a chalkboard, _she thought, feeling better to have someone to direct her frustration at.

"Thank you Ms. Andrews but I…"

"Please call me Sally. Otherwise I will just feel too old." The laugh that came out of her was even worse than her talking voice. Half cackle half scream and in a pitch, that Lizzie's ears didn't want to hear EVER again. Unfortunately, the woman was opening her mouth again and started to talk.

"Now, come with me and I'll show you our best dresses." She turned around to Red, flinging her blonde and curly hair over her shoulder and it seemed that she was happy to talk to him. "We have a lot of red dresses. It seems to be "in" right now and the shapes…you wouldn't believe how many different ideas the designers are coming up with for one plain dress…"

Liz watched them walk further into the boutique and was about to start following them with sagged shoulders but something held her back. Something in the atmosphere had changed. It became dense and almost crackled with charge. The hairs on her neck wanted to stand up and she turned around slowly to look behind her. People were walking by the entrance and small children were sitting on the bench in front of it. Nothing suspicious. But still, something was nagging at her and made her stomach turn.

"Lizzie, would you join us?" Red's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "We found a dress that you simply must try on immediately."

For the hundredth time that day, Lizzie sighed passionately, but complied.

One hour later….

"I promise you, this will be the last dress you have to try on for today." Red called through the heavy curtain to Lizzie, who was struggling into the 6th dress he and Sally had given her.

"Oh bless you…" she murmured, hanging her head in gratitude for someone up there having heard her prayers. The last dress was quiet short and cut in a baby doll style, but didn't look cute at all. For Liz it was the epitome of sexiness and she couldn't get comfortable no matter how much she tried to twist it into the right position. It was too short, reaching only the middle of her thighs and from the waist upward as snug as dresses get. The lower part was wider and reminded Liz of a ballerina costume. The decollete was in a shape of a sharp V, so not too wide but quiet deep. Strangely enough, this part didn't made Liz uncomfortable. Only the shortness of the dress made her tug on it every few seconds in hope, it would slid further down.

"Come out, Lizzie. I really can't wait to see you."

"I don't know…it's a bit short."

"As long as it isn't too small…." Red chuckled and Liz could hear Sally agreeing.

Slowly Liz slid the curtain to the side and peeked out. Red, Sally and Dembe were standing in front of her and their eyes were eagerly dancing up and down her body. She opened the curtain fully and stepped out. This was so humiliating. She was looking down the whole time, so she wouldn't need to see their reactions. _This kind of dresses are just nothing for me….or better said I am not made for them,_ she thought, but chanced a small glimpse at Red.

She was surprised to find him staring at her with an open mouth. Was it that bad? She tugged at the rim of the dress once again, fidgeting with her hands when no one said anything.

"It's too short." She tried to help them formulate the words, they seemed to not be able to find on their own. When she looked at Dembe, she was surprised to find him in a similar state as Red. He may not rock an open mouth, but his eyes were huge and he seemed to be speechless. Just before Liz decided to storm back into the changing room, she suddenly felt a hand on her waist. Startled she twisted her head upwards and found Red in front of her. His unique smell started to penetrate her senses and she was afraid she'd get dizzy if he didn't step back soon.

"This…Lizzie…"

Liz furrowed her brows. That was odd. Red always knew what to say. And to make it all even worse, his fingers were starting to caress her skin that was covered only by the thinnest material she had ever worn in his presence. It tickled, but also made her nerve endings explode. Her body wanted desperately to lean into it but her mind wanted to run. Scared of what was going on with her emotions and the possible outcome.

"You look breathtaking, sweetheart."

"Thank you…" Liz stuttered self-consciously and was about to lower her head once more, but a movement at the corner of her eye made her wipe her head to the left side. Her pulse quickened and her eyes searched for a new customer coming through the door, but there was no one there.

"What is it?" Red asked her with concern, following her gaze but also coming up empty.

"I eh…it's strange…"

"What is strange?"

Liz didn't want to sound like a complete moron but she instinctively knew that she should tell Red what she was experiencing.

"It's like seeing a ghost."

Sally's giggle made Red shoot her a hard look, which made her excuse herself and walk back to the register within seconds, leaving Red to turn back to Lizzie and look at her seriously.

"What do you mean?"

He stepped back from her, letting his hand fall back to his side, clenching it into a fist. To Liz's astonishment and outmost shock, she already missed his touch but tried to suppress her feelings for now. There were more important things at hand.

"When we started looking for dresses, I felt like someone was near me but I couldn't see him. You know this feeling when the atmosphere changes…when you sense another presence?" At Red's solemn nod, she continued, still nervous.

"And a few seconds ago I saw a movement from the corner of my eye. I was sure there was a customer coming in but there wasn't anyone. No one is here except us."

Red and Dembe exchanged a worried look and when Red turned back to her, Liz saw that he had a plan.

"Change back into the clothes we bought in the other shop. I'm going to pay for those dresses and Dembe will get them all to the car. I'll wait for you at the register."

"Altight. I'll hurry." Liz agreed and vanished swiftly back behind the curtain.

tbc...

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Let me know what you think:) WOuld you like to go shop with Red? I think it would be intimidating, but I guess you can see how I would feel in the way I wrote Liz in this chapter:)


	6. Hideand Seek? Part 1

Hi guys:)

First of all: **Thank you so much for all the kind comments! You are the best! I swear**

Second: I couldnt make my mind up if I should break this chapter into two parts but somehow I was so slow with writing that finally I decided that you guys deserve at least a shorter chapter as fast as possible:)

Here we go then:)

Have fun!

**Disclaimer:** Blackist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

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Hide...and Seek? Part 2

"You two are a…well…couple?"

"Why are you asking?"

Sally finished folding a napkin and twirled one edge between her fingers. Her eyes grew round she fluttered her eyelashes rapidly, which on her, did not look cute at all, but rather ridiculous.

"You are a very interesting man…you know…a woman has to keep her eyes open."

Red almost let his wallet fall, looking around him to make sure Liz was nowhere in hearing range. Slowly he stuck the wallet back in a jacket pocket and looked at the woman in front of him.

"Ehm…" he cleared his throat, tapped his fingers nervously against the marmot of the register and finally answered.

"Actually…we're married." The lie didn't go hard over his lips and it wasn't only his experience as the Concierge of Crime that made this particular statement so easy.

"Really? She didn't seem very comfortable…"  
"As I said, she's shy."

He was interrupted by the sound of the curtain being pulled back and Liz' footsteps. Red hurried to Liz' side and took her elbow gently into his hand, hoping to get fast and safely back to the cabin.

"Can we go?" Liz asked him quietly, her eyes scanning their surroundings.

"Of course. " Red answered, leading outside, while saying a quick goodbye to a dumbfounded Sally.

They walked a few steps and Red stopped, facing her.

"Dembe is already at the car. Are you sure you didn't see anyone?"

"I am sure. There was nothing…"

The sudden collision of a hard body into hers, made her gasp for air and wince in pain as her back collided with the hard tile floor. Her head hit the floor and she groaned, but before she could get her brain to stop swishing back and forth in her head, she felt something tug hard at her hand and propel her body into a sitting position.

"Move it!" Red's growl reached her ears and she immediately tried to get her legs under her body and follow him. A high-pitched whistle passed her ear and the loud clank only a few feet behind her, made her move faster. She knew this sound. Hours and hours with shooting practice made her almost an expert in the sound a gun made when missing you only by inches.

"He's shooting at us…." She yelled in disbelieve. Red was still dragging her into a standing position and at the same time already in a forward direction. She felt her left knee slide painfully over the floor and finally she was able to get herself upright and start to move faster behind Red.

"Don't look behind you." He advised nervously, now starting to run.

_Running? Red is running…no…please…this is bad, really bad!_

She looked above them and spotted balconies that belonged to the second floor of the mall. She was sure that the shots were coming from there. She couldn't see anyone though.

Instead, she heard people starting to panic and the screaming got louder all around her. They passed a group of people running in the same direction, screaming and looking frantically behind themselves. Liz suppressed the urge to do the same, when she heard another round of shots, following their path.

"Red!" she didn't know why she was calling out to him, but she needed to hear his voice. To reassure her that everything would be alright. But he didn't answer. They ran towards a lower ceiling and Liz hoped that they could lose the shooter while mingling with the crowed, but Red's voice burst the bubble of hope.

"Don't stop moving, Lizzie. Follow me."

He was steering them in the direction of stairs that should be leading into the garage of the mall, but when they reached the railing, Liz clutched at his hand and pressed her body into his.

"They're not finished. The damn stairs are not finished yet."

By now, they were panting and they knew that they were sitting duck at the moment. The screams grew louder ones more and Liz could here loud footsteps on the balcony above them. And then she saw him. The black eyes and a crazy smirk on his face. He was raising the rifle and starting to reload it.

"Oh my god. He's here." She frantically pulled on Red's arm and was slightly concerned by the fact that Red was staring down the balcony they were standing on themselves.

"Jump!" he told her and pulled her unceremoniously in front of him, so that his back was to Sergej and his body shielding hers.

"Are you insane? This is at least a three-meter drop. We're gonna break all our bones."

A bullet hit the metal of the railing she was gripping and she shrieked girlishly, feeling embarrassed about it instantly. She felt Red moving against her and his face appeared right beside hers, touching her cheek.

"You've learned how to jump and roll, now do it or we will both die." He calmly whispered.

Liz peeked down and calculated her fall and where she would land and finally, with Red's help, she climbed onto the railing, said a quick prayer and jumped. She felt herself fly through the air and then roll instinctively when her body made contact with the ground. For a few seconds she must have blacked out though, because the next thing she knew was hearing a loud thump and a warm body covering hers.

"Sweetheart, I have the outmost respect for your thieving skills, wit and all the other things but those jumps and rolls? Have you been sleeping while you were in class?"

_How could he joke right now? Crazy…_was the only thing going through her mind, while trying to catch her breath.

"We have to get out of here. There is an emergency exit right to our left side. Hurry up."

They got to their feet, groaning in synch and sprinted together to the exit. Red struggled for a moment with the safety handle and finally pushed it open, reaching for Liz' arm and pulling her behind him into the fresh air. They were both gasping for air now, with Red closing the door behind them firmly.

"Do we go around and find Dembe?" Liz asked hopefully.

"No."

"No?" her surprise was visible on her face. "What will we do then?"

Red faced her but didn't meet her eyes because they were scanning their surroundings.

"Dembe must have heard the shots and seen the people rushing out in panic. His orders, in case something should happen here or at the cabin, are to leave and wait for us with the car at the side road of the refuge."

"What? Do you have any idea how far that is? We will be walking for hours." She told him incredulously.

"Three and a half to be exact. I've done my homework, Lizzie."

"Sergej will get us! He'll follow us and then he will KILL us. We don't have any weapons, my head is hurting as if a horde of giants is tap-dancing in there and we are not clothed for a hike of OVER THREE HOURS." Her voice was raising steadily, making Red smile but also once again look around to make sure she didn't make Sergej aware of their location.

"He won't. He will search the mall and then he will think we went back to the car and drove back to the cabin. If he even knows about the cabin."

"How else could he have followed us. I am sure he…RED!" While she was talking, Red had simply left her standing and walked away, obviously expecting her to follow. What else could she do?

"Red, I was talking to you." Liz complained, when she caught up with him.

Red walked on, not slowing down at all, but was nice enough to look at her this time, while answering.

"I can hear you, Lizzie. Even when I am a few meters away from you. My hearing is not as bad as you may think it is." Liz had to smirk at that quip.

"It was YOU saying that you were old, not ME!"

He ignored her comment completely and simply continued with his sentence.

"But I think that you may have a small concussion, since you are starting to bleed at the back of your head and to be honest, I don't really want to carry you for hours."

"Oh thanks." She commented with sarcasm, lightly prodding the back of her head with her fingertips, coming up with small drops of blood. Her quiet curse was interrupted by Red's amused voice.

"It's not that I wouldn't like to, sweetheart. Believe me, I would do almost anything to get your body pressed to mine like a candy wrapper clinging to the sweet goodness inside…" he sighed in obvious regret, making Liz grimace. "…but since I may have twisted my ankle while trying not to land on you, it might get a bit uncomfortable after a while."

Liz laughed suddenly and she knew it was out of place, but she just couldn't help it. She blamed it on the stress.

"Twisted an ankle? Wasn't it YOU who told me my jump and roll skills were not the best?"

"If YOU had rolled better and didn't stop that fast, I wouldn't have to adjust my jump while being in the air already." He huffed, walking briskly into the brush, encircling the mall. "Now hurry up. I want to meet with Dembe before it gets too dark."

tbc...

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So? What do ya think? Be as brutaly honest as you like and let me know:) I am looking forward to find out what ya think! Greets to all of ya!


	7. Hideand Seek? Part 2

Hey ya!

One again I was absolutely baffled by the response to the story and SO thankful!

Spacial thanks go to: rebeccabraxton. YOU MADE MY DAY:) and made me blush which is actually not that easy;)

So here comes the second part of the Hide...and Seek? chapter. It may have even a third part but I am not sure yet. I'll just go with the flow:)

Hope you'll have fun!:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details see prologue!)

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Hide…and Seek? Part 2

The world was swaying. Left…right…left…up…left…right…down. With every step, her stomach and brain were equally floating from one side to the other The cool breeze was the only thing keeping Liz from vomiting. She swallowed with great difficulty, in hope to get rid of the foully taste in her mouth.

"Is everything alright back there?" Red's voice broke her out of her concentration and she smiled at him thinly.

"Everything's fine. How is your ankle?"

"Good."

_Yeah, right…,_ Liz thought, shaking her head. _How stubborn he is…he would never admit to not feeling well._

Absentmindedly, she scratched at her arm and swatted at a fly. The green around them was overwhelming. Around an hour ago, they had crossed a field in a sprint and Red had lead her once again into a patch of pure green. For Liz, everything looked the same. Well, not maybe the same but similar enough, so that she would have never been able to navigate sensibly in it. Red, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any problems to find the right way back to the refuge.

_Knowing him, he might have already walked around here once, just to check out how to get to the cabin if something happened. Maybe he made it into a day hike with Dembe. Or a woman that he wanted to impress with his mad skills, _Liz rolled her eyes at herself. _Well….I am NOT impressed. He is just a perfectionist and that's how he does things…always prepared. Always knowing everything….he must have been a trooper at school…_

Her thoughts were circling around the enigmatic man walking in front of her and she was surprised to notice, that they were actually distracting her from the sick feeling in her stomach.

They've walked for almost two hours when Liz started to notice, that Red was beginning to limp slightly. She quickened her pace and caught up with him, walking now at his side. He wasn't looking at her but she could see beats of sweat on his forehead.

"You are not alright, Red."

"What are you talking about? Of course I am."

"Oh please…" she scoffed now openly. "You look as if you've run a marathon and your head is starting to turn red. So either you are angry or in pain."

Red looked at her in surprise. Seems like she was paying more attention to him then he thought and she realized.

"In this case: I am angry."

"Alright…be a pain. I won't ask again." Liz fell back again and walked behind him, feeling hurt and a dent in her ego created by his rebuff. This man was one of the very few people in her life, that was able to make her feel like a child, bring out her worst behavior and sometimes make her feel smaller than an ant. But almost at the same time he made her feel beautiful and special. It was infuriating and confusing for her. She sidestepped a rock and her stomach lurched again. _Great…now I need to distract myself all over again._

Red listened to her huffs, groans and moans for the next few minutes and sagged his shoulders. His damn pride wouldn't let him admit to her that his ankle was on fire and every step felt like a knife was driving into it, trying to sever the foot from the leg. He had had worse. He would survive. But those noises she was making were driving him insane. The concussion couldn't be too bad since she was still walking, but it was bad enough to make her feel queasy and for sure dizzy as hell. He felt proud of her that she was holding herself so well and he was surprised she actually asked him about his injury. He did know that she was a compassionate person and tried to help people but until now, he had assumed that he wasn't a person in her eyes but a monster she had to get along with. Maybe there was more to her feelings than he had expected and even looked for. His primary goal had been to make her listen to him and simply make her trust him enough to protect her…and yes…to use her for one or the other game with a Blacklister.

Red shot a look at her over his shoulder. It has gotten suspiciously quiet behind him and he was shocked to see no trace of Liz.

"Lizzie?" his voice quivered. "Elizabeth! Where are you?" In his panic, he started to brush branches aside and look for her in the nearest undergrowth. What if she had fallen and broken her neck? What if Sergej had gotten her? What if…a gurgle and a cough made him stop in his frantic search and quiet down to locate the source of the sound. There it was again. He walked back a few strides and stopped, rooted to the ground when he pushed a low hanging branch away and looked at the ground.. His Lizzie was kneeling down, hunched over and obviously throwing her guts up.

"Sweetheart?" carefully he made his way to her, nearing her as if she was a hurt animal. She was bracing her hands on her thighs, finally raising her head and looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

"I kind of…don't feel so good."

Red sighed, knelt down behind her and gently pulled her back. She was leaning against his chest, her head lolling on his shoulder. He wound his arm around her waist and hugged her, albeit a bit awkwardly. Turning his face to hers, he dropped a small kiss against her temple and smiled.

"Everything's gonna be ok."

A sense of déjà vu made both of them feel even more comfortable in the close proximity of each other. The last time he had uttered those words to her, was when she had started to trust him in earnest and started to see him as an ally. A partner. A person.

He gave her a few minutes before he couldn't suppress a groan. His ankle was killing him in this position. She abruptly sat forward and turned around.

"Oh my…I'm sorry, Red."

"No big deal. I'll survive. Are you feeling better?"

She nodded halfheartedly, stood up and reached for him to help him up. After a moment of consideration, he grabbed her hand, and although not putting too much weight on her, he let her help him to his feet.

Without another word, they started walking again, but the distance between them had shrunk considerably. Not only in the physical sense.

"Tell me when you feel sick again, we will stop." Red told her sternly and she only nodded. It was quiet obvious that all the walking wasn't helping her state and she was grateful for his understanding, although she still felt embarrassed about this whole situation.

"What about you?" she quietly asked. Why suffer alone?

"I had worse." He repeated his thoughts from before, hoping she would let the topic go.

"I can make you a bandage if you want. It would help. And I promise I didn't sleep in first-aid classes." She smiled at him sweetly. She could see him give in slowly. He must be in a lot of pain.

"When we stop the next time, alright?"

She nodded, trying not to move her head too much, while they walked on in a peaceful silence.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The light was starting to fade slowly and Liz was starting to feel nervous, which had nothing to do with the slight lightheadedness that didn't want to go away. All the shadows and small noises were creeping her out. She glanced repeatedly at Red, who didn't seem to notice anything, so she didn't mention it, being sure that it was her muddled brain giving her a hard time. Unconsciously she was drawing nearer to her hiking companion and looking over her shoulder constantly, but not seeing anything unusual.

"Do you need to go to the loo or something?" Red's voice startled her and she grasped at her heart.

"Don't do that!"

"What? Talk to you?"

"Startle me." She clarified, again looking over her shoulder.

Red's gaze followed hers and he narrowed his eyes to see better in the twilight.

"Why are you so nervous?"

Liz hesitated, but finally told him.

"It's just a feeling. As if something is following us. But I don't see anyone…or anything. It's similar to the feeling in the mall."

Red nodded once, to Liz' astonishment taking her seriously.

"I feel it too. But I couldn't make anything out, either." He looked her in the eyes, comfortingly patting her arm.

"I guess it's just our frazzled nervous and our tired brains playing tricks on us." He regarded her nervous hand rubbing the scar on her wrist.

"Do you want to go first? It's always the unknown behind the back that frightens one the most. That's actually why they say not to turn your back on anyone." He smiled reassuringly at her and stepped behind her, nudging her gently, so that she would start moving again.

Liz' new position in the front made her feel only slightly better. Although she wasn't worried about something jumping her from behind, she was now having the most disturbing thoughts about Red being snatched away from her. _Why do those things always have to happen to me? What did I do to deserve that?_ She was concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, when suddenly the earth gave out under her leg and she started to fall. A scream tore from her throat and her hands tried to claw at something to grab on. When she felt two strong arms encircle her waist, she suddenly felt a sob built in her chest, trying to bubble up and let loose with a desperation, she only felt a couple of times in her life. But she swallowed it down and tried to breathe through the panic.

"Hold on. I've got you." Red's voice whispered calmly into her ear and his warm breath grazed her skin.

"What the hell…" she gasped out.

"A trap." He explained matter-of-factly, pulling her back from the now rather large hole before them.

When Liz felt once again solid ground under her feet, she inhaled deeply to calm herself, but didn't let go of Red's am.

"How could he have known that we would walk this way? This is insane. It's not possible."

"Maybe it was a hunter."

Liz let her head fall forward, resting it on Red's chest and breathed in his scent. It was calming and Liz felt instantly safer.

"Sorry, Red. I'll be ready to roll in a second."

"A little break may be in order, don't you think?"

She nodded against him and let herself be lead to a tree trunk, where Red lowered them both to the ground. Liz pulled away from him and eyed his outstretched leg.

"Shall I take a look now?" she asked, gesturing to his ankle.

"Since I know you won't let this go." He said, partly amused. "Do what you think you have to do."

Liz smirked, set up onto her knees and directed her gaze to Red's injured ankle.

Slowly she pulled the material of his suit pants up and gently pulled at his dark sock and gasped.

"Doesn't look so good down there, does it?" his suddenly strained voice made her look into his face.

"It's a nice variety of colors." She tried to joke to lift the mood a bit. To indulge her, Red forced a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Liz sighed and averted her own eyes back to the discolored and swollen skin.

"I wouldn't recommend to take off the shoe. It's going to swell even more if you do that." She knew she was telling him things, he already knew, but it calmed her nerves. She'd always been a talker when thrust in stressful situations. The feeling of being watched hadn't dissipated yet and she felt a thousand wild bats fluttering in her stomach.

"I can't really see enough in this light to tell how bad it is, but I'm going to bandage it."

"With what?"

She didn't answer, just pulled sharply at the sleeve of her brand new jacket and grinned when it tore with a load sound.

"Lizzie!"

"Sorry, Red. I really liked this jacket but your mobility is a bit more important right now than me being chilled, don't you think?"

"Shame…" Red lamented, shaking his head.

They fell silent while Liz wrapped the material around the injury. It was getting darker and darker and the wind was picking up, whistling through the trees and making them croak and groan with every push. Liz worked faster, trying to shake off the creepy feeling at the back of her head. It was as if there was a weight there, as if someone was touching her but wasn't visible.

"Red?" she whispered. His murmured "mh", told her that he was listening but either wasn't feeling well enough to lose precious energy, or was having this strange sensation also and didn't want to alarm anyone who might be watching them.

"Do you feel that?" she finally asked.

"As if someone is here with us? Yes I do." His voice was low, almost turning into a growl at the end of the sentence. "I really don't know what to think of this, Lizzie. I can't see or hear anyone and I am pretty sure no one has followed us. How could he? It's almost impossible."

Liz finished the bandage with a knot, being careful not to make it too tight.

"Almost? So, theoretically it IS possible. In this case: why are we still alive?" She questioned, worriedly looking around her but once again coming up with nothing except for green and brown nature.

She began to become even more worried when she saw Red brush his hand in a nervous gesture over his face. He smacked his lips and pressed them together before speaking.

"I don't know what to say, Lizzie. I have no idea what's going on right now."

Liz sat down beside him, breathed in a lung-full of fresh, crisp air and finally spared him a side-ways look.

"THAT…is the scariest thing you have EVER said, Red."

tbc...

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Please let me know what your thoughts are. It makes me write fast:) And I love to read your comments!

P.S. For all who have the same question as rebeccabraxton: Dembe took the bags with him to the car:)


	8. After Dark Some Shadows Become Real

Hi there:)

I decided to post two chepter in one kind of. The last part of the Hide...and Seek? chapter was too short for a post;)

Once againTHANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys are just wow...Everytime I am speachless how many of you take the time to comment and tell me your thoughts! Thank you

So now I hope you will enjoy the chapters:)

**DIsclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

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**Hide…and Seek? Part 3**

Red hobbled down an uneven, graveled path, keeping a close eye on his surroundings and Liz. The strange feeling they had had, had not vanished completely but had started to lose the oppressiveness. Red knew they had only about half an hour more to walk and then they would reach Dembe and the car. Red's mind was working on high speed to figure out what to do next. What they both needed was a doctor and some food and water, but he was reluctant to decide for them to walk into a public place right now. Sergej had obviously somehow gotten wind of them being in the mall and until Red didn't find out how he had managed that, he couldn't be sure if he wouldn't follow them there too. So, hospitals were out of the picture for now. Dembe's skills as a nurse had to be enough. His thoughts were interrupted, when he felt Liz' soft hand encircle his wrist.

"Can you hear that?" she whispered. Surprised Red started to listen intently into the blackness around them.

At first, he couldn't hear anything, other than their footsteps and a bit of rustling in the foliage of the trees around them but then it reached his ears. A faint sound, but when he recognized it, it was hammering into his ears even louder than his own speeding up heartbeat. Breathing. There was heavy breathing in the distance.

"I know it's going to sound crazy, but are those woods haunted."

Red chuckled quietly, whispering into her ear, "The only thing haunting those woods is us and some creep who is following us."

"That's what I thought you would say." She sighed. "Honesty, I would prefer a ghost, right now."

Their eyes had gotten used to the darkness a long time ago and they didn't have a problem to see the trail in front of them with only the light from the moon illuminating it, but when they tried to see further into the forest there was only darkness because it was simply too dark.

"Just keep moving, sweetheart." He grabbed her arm and pulled her once again in front of himself, but this time, didn't let go of her arm, keeping the contact firm and steady.

"Shouldn't we get a branch or something as a weapon?"

Red thought about that for a minute or two and finally answered.

"And what? If he has a gun, it won't help us. And I don't think that he wants to kill us…yet"

"That's what they always say in movies and then they are found in a pool of their own blood."

Red squeezed her arm gently, moving a bit nearer to her.

"Are you worried about me, darling?"

"I am worried about US."

They walked on in a slightly faster pace when Liz suddenly made a full stop.

"There is someone behind us, Red." She whispered, voice quivering and slowly turning. Red didn't answer, but equally slowly started to turn around. His hold on Lizzie tightened when he saw the black shadow standing unmoving in a distance.

"Stay calm. Don't move. Let me handle it." Red warned her. Liz didn't react, but stayed behind him as told. She watched Red turn completely and walk two steps in the direction of the shadow. It didn't move.

"Hey!" He suddenly called, startling her. "Who are you? We are trying to hike in peace here and you're disturbing us." No answer was forthcoming and the nerve-wracking silence was continuing.

"Who the hell is that?" Red murmured and started to walk to the silhouette. It didn't move, it didn't talk and Liz was watching in terror how Red was getting nearer to it and out of her sight. Into the blackness. Leaving her alone.

"Red, wait." She called, suddenly scared to death. When he turned to her and they both stood beside each other again, they turned back to the figure and their mouths opened in disbelief. It was gone.

"Can we go now please, Red. I don't want to find out who that was, I just wanna get out of here." She pleaded with the tense man standing next to her and tugged at his sleeve.

"This is not Sergej's style." Red mused, while hurrying after Liz. "He would be all bullets and torture. Like in the mall. He wouldn't try to scare us like that before killing us. Where is the point?

"I don't care." Liz told him firmly, not looking back.

When a few minutes later they reached a clearing, Red pointed out a gleaming on their right hand side.

"See that? That's Dembe's flashlight. We're almost done with this walk from hell."

Liz closed her eyes briefly in relief and quickened her pace once more. But their happiness of being almost in safety was destroyed when a single shot rang out from behind them and a piece of dirt flew into the air a few feet beside them.

"For the love of…" Red's voice faded away before he finished his annoyed sentence and they started to run.

"Well…" Liz panted, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs. "Running is not your style either….but you're doing it right now." Another shot made them change their direction and they could see Dembe's flashlight drawing nearer.

"Extreme times….call….for extreme measures….right?"

Awkwardly they ran through the darkness and finally, finally reached a worried Dembe.

"Who was shooting?" he asked.

"Obviously not us." Liz snapped, bracing herself against the car. Red and Dembe ignored her and started talking in businesslike tones about the situation they had unexpectedly found themselves in. Liz wasn't listening. The run had done a good job in muddling her brain once again. The two Red's and three Dembe's standing next to her were only a mild concern, since this wasn't her first concussion and she knew that the symptoms were temporary. A doctor might have argued that if not taken care of, a concussion might lead to more severe problems. _But A doctor doesn't have to run from an invisible killer, right? _She smiled at her own joke and was perplexed when she suddenly found herself in the backseat of their car, with Red's face directly in front of hers.

"Hi." She muttered.

His brows furrowed and his lips puckered in deep thought.

"Hi?" he finally asked. She rose her own brows in question and then remembered his injury, asking politely how his ankle was feeling and if his foot was still attached to his leg.

"Well thank you for your heartwarming concern, Lizzie. Yes, it is still where it belongs and I feel fine. You on the other hand my dear…"

"…am fine." she finished his sentence stubbornly. He only nodded and drew away from her, settling into his own seat.

"To the cabin Dembe."

"Cabin? You're not serious, are you?" Liz instantly felt more alert. "He KNOWS we are staying there, Red! I don't care HOW he knows it but it is clear he does. It's suicide."

"We need our weapons." Red told her calmly, not looking at her though. "And I have a plan."

Liz groaned. She hated his plans. She really did. Not because they didn't work but they were always just….insane.

"Something illegal, I presume?"

He smirked, reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"Nooo….we are only going to borrow something."

xxxxxxxxxx

"You call that borrowing?" Liz huffed, feeling irritated.

"We ARE borrowing…I am sure the owner won't mind us staying in his cabin for a few days."

"Red, we were breaking and entering…you said we wouldn't be doing anything illegal…."

Before he could answer, Liz held her hand up and shook her hand.

"No…I don't want to know. Don't talk to me right now." She let herself fall onto a comfortable looking chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Watching Red shrug his shoulders at her, she redirected her gaze to the furnishing of their new place. The furniture looked more expensive than in Red's cabin and the decorations were more thoughtful. Whereas Red's place was void of any unnecessary things, this one was filled with old vases, a ton of duvets and stuffed animals. Liz scrunched up her nose at the last one, but in the end it was just a place where they had to stay for only a few days. She had the outmost confidence in Red and his contacts to catch this guy as fast as possible.

She looked down at herself and another frown appeared on her face. The second outfit ruined. What a shame. She really had liked this blouse and trousers Red had gotten her in the mall.

"Am I allowed to speak to you again?" Red asked, taking a seat in the chair next to hers. Liz let her arms uncross and turned to him.

"If you have and want to..."

That got her a crooked smile and she couldn't do anything else but smile back.

"I always want to." He paused, trying to gauge her reaction and when he didn't get yelled at, Red stretched his arm out, holding a cloth in it.

"For your head. There are ice cubes in it so be careful. It will sting."

Sheepishly she took the cloth from him and carefully eased it to her wound.

"Don't you need one too? For your ankle?"

"Dembe's taking care of it."

Liz nodded and silence fell upon them. Neither knowing what to say exactly, but being comfortable enough to sit side by side and not say anything.

When Dembe stepped inside and handed Red another cloth with ice, he finally broke the silence.

"There is only one bed." Dembe's unique way of addressing difficult subjects was not only effective but for Liz also endearing. At least he was honest. It was refreshing compared to getting all those secretive answers from Red all the time.

"I'll take the sofa I saw when we came in." she offered, knowing that Red would have a complete different idea and was too much of a gentleman to let her sleep on a couch.

"Dembe will take the sofa. WE will take the bed."

"We…?" Liz spluttered in shock. That, she hadn't expected at all.

"Don't worry, Lizzie. I won't bite."

And with this, the day ended for Liz as catastrophic as it had started.

**After Dark Some Shadows Become Real**

Liz was turning from one side to the other, trying not to be too loud so she would not wake Red. His sleeping habits seemed to be different from what she expected them to be.

After all of them had freshened up and changed into new clothes, Liz had retreated to their bedroom first. She said Dembe goodnight and told Red he didn't need to hurry because she wouldn't be asleep yet either. Her mind was just too riled up to sleep, although her body was demanding from her all the rest she could get. Only fifteen minutes later, Red had carefully opened the door with a creak and stepped inside. When the door closed behind him, everything was once again covered by darkness. Liz had been lying on her back and stared at the man coming into the room and was thanking Dembe for the suggestion not to wear sleep attire, just to be ready to leave if something happened. That was the reason why she didn't understand why her hands were fumbling nervously with the covers. She wouldn't see anything inappropriate, neither would he and sharing a bed didn't mean ANYTHING. She had been in closer proximity with him when they had stood in the crowded elevator of the Blacksite… so what was her problem. She had felt the mattress move slightly when he lowered his body onto it and when he laid down, she had listened to his breathing.

"Good night, Darling." He had muttered and when she had answered quietly, he had turned around, facing away from her and just fallen asleep.

This wasn't how she imagined him going to bed. She thought he would be turning all night, not being able to sleep. Hadn't he told her once that he had an issue with falling asleep? _Not that I care about his rituals and habits in the evening. It's just interesting for my profiling…_

Liz changed her position once again and tried to close her eyes even tighter. And finally, she felt the pull of sleep. Felt herself drifting slowly from wakefulness into a peaceful state.

Footsteps.

Gravel crunching under someones boots. They weren't hurried. They were walking in a steady rhythm and faded away into the silence.

Liz' eyes flew open.

Had she been dreaming? How long had she been asleep, anyway? She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and lay as still as possible. Not moving a muscle, she tried to listen with all her senses. The only thing she felt, was an uneasiness. _Maybe because I didn't eat anything, _she thought massaging her tummy which growled at the thought of food. Slowly she slid out from under the covers, slipped on her shoes and tiptoed to the door. Opening it inch by small inch, she squeezed through the created slit and dared to breathe again. The cabin was dark and she could hear Dembe snoring in the living room. Navigating mostly by waving her arms around and running once against a small table, she finally reached the kitchen. Liz didn't think that clicking the light on would be a great idea, since she didn't want to find herself at the end of Dembe's gun, so she carefully made her way to the fridge, passing the window and using the light from the small garden lamp from outside to find the handle.

The fridge was mostly void of food, the only thing she could see was a can of sausages and her stomach growled again. After throwing up in the woods there was nothing left of the meager breakfast she had had in the morning, so she couldn't resist the glossy sausages sitting there and waiting for her. Reaching for the can, she pulled it out of the fridge, closed the door and immediately tried to open it. After a few minutes of struggling with the lid, it finally gave way with a pop and the aroma of fresh meat filled Liz' nostrils. She licked her lips, fished out one of the sausages and bit into it, closing her eyes in delicious bliss.

When she reopened them, Liz almost spit out the bite she was still chewing on but ended up with a piece stuck in her throat. With wide eyes and coughing violently, she stared at a man's grotesquely masked face in the window.

Liz let the sausage fall to the floor and ran to the door. When she managed to open it, she tried to call for Red and Dembe around the coughs.

Red was the first one to burst through the bedroom door and hurried up to her side.

"Lizzie, what's going on? Dembe!"

Red was leaning over and looked into Liz face, seeing something he didn't like at all. Fear.

"What happened?" Dembe asked when he joined them in the corridor.

"A man…" Liz coughed once more. "There was a man outside the window. I was in the kitchen."

Red nodded to Dembe, not needing words to let him know what he had to do. He looked after him when he went outside and locked the door behind him. Then Red looked back at the shaken woman, clinging to his arms.

"How did he look?"

"He was wearing a mask."

"Ski mask?"

Liz shook her head, not meeting his eyes. She couldn't believe what she had seen herself but she was sure she DID see it.

"He had a clowns mask. But it was one of the mean clowns, you know? Those with this crazy smirk?"

"A clown?" Red asked, clearly disturbed by the events.

"Yeah." Liz ran a hand through her dark hair and ruffled it up a bit in a nervous gesture. "Why would he do that, Red? This doesn't make any sense? Why doesn't he just kill us? That's what Sergej would do, right?"

"Calm down, sweetheart." His calm voice made her suddenly angry.

"Red, there is a friggin CLOWN out there who is obviously trying to scare or KILL us! I will NOT calm down! Where is my gun?" without waiting for Red to answer, she ran into the living room, opening drawers and cupboards, desperately needing to find her gun and feel the comforting heaviness in her hand.

"It is in the chest in the corner." Red informed her, still calmly.

Within seconds, Liz had found the gun, loaded it and stuck it into her waistband, only to wipe it out again and point it at the door when Dembe came through it.

"Goodness…" she sighed and lowered the weapon. "We really have to make up a signal for each other."

"I didn't find anyone." Dembe told them, meeting Red's steady but demanding gaze. "But I found this." He continued and gestured to a piece of paper in his hand. "It is addressed to you Raymond." Red walked up to him without a hint of hesitation and took the object out of his hand and read out loud.

_Hello Raymond,_

_I tried to contact you but your friends at the FBI didn't want to admit to have talked to you. Shame that your friends are denying socialize with you. Don't worry. Soon they won't have to lie anymore. You took my brother, Ray and I will take your light. I have grown. I've learned from you. Games are only fun for those who win them and I intend to win this game. You can run but the darkness will soon overpower you. _

_P.S._

_Tell your sweetheart that her dog is a real cutie._

"Oh my god."

"Don't worry, Lizzie. He won't hurt Hudson."

"How can you be so sure? You told me he doesn't engage in those games. You were wrong about that too."

"He loves dogs. I think the last sentence was actually genuine."

Liz didn't know what to say. Should she believe Red? Sadly enough, she didn't have time to ponder the question, because her nose started to tickle with a familiar smell.

"Smoke." She croaked and her eyes widened in sudden realization.

tbc...

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I am not so happy with those two chapters. The events somehow didnt want to stick to each other...so strange. So let me know if it was alright;)

P.S.

A guest told me that Red wouldn't say _loo _cause he isn't british. My explanation: I am neither;) But I have been traveling a lot and picked up some words here and there that I like to use even if they are from another country. Since Red obviously is traveling a lot too I think that's a thing he might be doing sometimes too, just to goad people(you know how he is;))...you know what I mean?


	9. Need You Cause Love You

Hey guys:)

Here comes a little breahter-chapter:) Dont want to stress you out completly:) So I threw in a bit og Lizzington for good measure but no worries...there is more Lizzington to come;) The grand finale with provide us with heartwrneching Lizzington moments (And I am not saying heartwaming for a reason here;))

Well, enough of the teasing:)

Here comes your relaxing chaoter

oh and P.S: THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING; ALL THE FAV'S AND FOLLOW'S!

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, go to prologue)

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I Need You Cause I Love , I Love You Cause I Need You

There were no flames yet. At least Liz couldn't see any, while she was being dragged out of the cabin by Red like a rag doll. Her childhood fear was coming true. The smoke was something she would never forget again. The dense blanket of it, smothering everything that lingered too long.

"Lizzie. C'mon, snap out of it, we have to get out of here."

Liz curled her fingers around Red's forearm and held on for dear life. Her mind was trying to go back to the fateful night when she was four, but Red's voice, which was still talking to her, didn't let them overwhelm her. It was like a protective blanket around her brain and although she had to wonder about it for a split second, she was more than grateful for it. If it weren't for him, she probably would have gone insane already and frozen In that cabin, awaiting her certain death patiently.

"Movie it, Lizzie."

She felt another shove and her scared hand collided with cold metal. She frowned and looked down, to see the handle of the car-door. Before she could open it though, she heard Dembe curse.

"He slit our tires."

"Of course he did." Red stated matter-of-factly, drawing Liz nearer to his body and taking her with him into a crouching position behind the car. Slowly, she was coming out of her daze, focusing on Red's familiar and calming smell. He seemed to be contemplating something and finally reached a decision. His body language was so obvious, that in their current proximity, Liz didn't need to hear any words.

"We have to split. Maybe we can distract him or confuse him." His tone was nowhere near confident and Liz had to swallow hard.

"Dembe," He continued after a short pause. "You will go around the cabin and work your way to mine. Try to get a hold of a phone and call Mr. Kaplan. She will know what to do next." While Dembe was nodding and preparing for his jog to the other cabin, Red explained the rest of his plan, now turned to Liz.

"We, sweetheart, will make our way back to the mall."

"In the dark…" panic was starting to rise in her once more. She wasn't afraid of the dark but she didn't particularly like to wander around dark woods with a killer on their heels. No, that wasn't her idea of fun.

"I'm sorry, we have to." Red told her, moving his hand comfortingly up and down her arm. "We won't find any help in the Refuge. There is simply no one here."

She could see his annoyance at the situation but didn't dare to say anything else. Of course, he was right. Without the car they had no way of getting out here and without their phones, that were still in the cabin, they couldn't call for help. _Nice mess we have gotten ourselves into, _she thought wryly, looking after Dembe, who was already making his way back to their original cabin. Her eyes wandered to Red and they met his concerned gaze.

"Are you up for this, Lizzie."

Liz huffed quietly, shaking her head.

"You DO know that I am an FBI-Agent, right?"

"As much as a mortal human being. Who is hurt."

Liz was glad he didn't say _as much as a woman._ That's what she'd have expected from any other man in this situation with her. But Red always had to be an exception.

"You are hurt too, so lets not talk but move." She stated and stood up from their meager hiding spot, followed immediately by Red.

For a while, they walked in silence, both immerged in their own thoughts, plans and contemplations. Liz was wondering where her weapon had gone to, but forgot about that question, when Red suddenly left the path they had been walking on earlier this night. Liz almost missed him moving away from her side, only alerted by a rustling noise by her side.

"Don't do that." She complained when she caught up with him.

"He would expect us to use the path. We shouldn't play into his expectations." The dry explanation surprised Liz. Normally he would have talked her ears off already, but those short answers were mostly reserved for questions he didn't want to answer about their past or for his angry and stubborn moments.

_What is he angry about? It's not only my fault that a clown is chasing us….hell, that sounds ridicules._

She didn't say anything. His behavior bugged her but she didn't want to start a discussion, which usually would end in her storming off or him starting to eat some strange things and not answering her at all anymore. Both of those things were not possible here, so she kept her mouth shut.

After walking for at least an hour in complete silence, Liz finally stopped moving. She rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. Their surrounding were looking the same way they looked half an hour ago and her head was starting to hurt again. Red registered a few seconds later that she had stopped moving and swiveled around.

"What is it?" his voice was deep. Almost a growl but lacked the hostility from before.

"I need a break." She simply stated and lowered herself to the ground under a tree. The ground was cold and pieces of branches and little stones jabbed her mercilessly.

"Are you not feeling well?"

She considered lying to him, but she was sure she looked like hell and she knew for a fact that Red knew how to read her. Knew all her little gestures, ticks and looks and most of the time interpreted them right. So what point was there in trying to lie?

"My head hurts." She paused. The whole truth was embarrassing but what the heck…if anyone, this food obsessed man would be the only one understanding her right now. "I'm hungry."

He smirked and a light "aaah…" made its way to her ears. Slowly he walked to her side, sat beside her and grinned. At least he wasn't in a bad mood anymore.

"Me too." He half whispered, half laughed, leaning a little bit into her and Liz' own lips couldn't stop but form a smile of her own.

This time the following silence was comfortable, but Red broke it with a somber tone in his voice when he spoke up.

"I'm sorry, darling. You didn't deserve a cold shoulder from me."

To say that Liz was surprised by this admission was an underrating of major proportions. She didn't get to brush his apology off, because he continued.

"I am just angry at myself. I am supposed to protect you and what did I manage to do? Get you almost killed three times in one day. This is shameful. And I am sorry."

Liz' mouth was hanging open when he finished and she looked at him with a bewilderment in her eyes, Red hadn't seen before. Maybe because it was mixed with compassion and dare he say…affection.

"It is NOT your fault, Red." She sat up and faced him properly, lying a hand on his tense shoulder.

"It's Sergej's fault and hell maybe even mine, because I am flaunting myself around not paying attention to any kind of threat, which is suicidal since I am working with you."

Red frowned.

"No…that came out wrong." She cringed at herself. "I know you have a lot of enemies, Red. And right now I am your soft spot. No matter if it is because you need me for something, or because those psychos think I am your little bed bunny or just because we are friends and partners. I knew from the beginning what I was getting myself into here." At that she paused and regarded his smirk. "Well, maybe not entirely and not from the beginning but at least since I shot Tom I DO know what those people are seeing me as and what they are capable of. If they want to kill you, they have to get me so they can lure you in. This is my role and for Christ's sake, you are not my guardian and it was my own decision to stay at your side. You gave me more than one chance to tell you to disappear and I didn't."

"And why was that?"

The question threw her off balance immediately. That wasn't something she wanted to get into right now. Logically she knew that her feelings, whatever they were, for him were not only inappropriate but also hopeless. Never in a million years would he even consider to get involved with her romantically. At least not seriously. She was too inexperienced, too damaged already and so not his type.

"Lizzie?"

"Mh?"

"Why didn't you tell me to go?"

Liz couldn't look away from his eyes. She was scared to admit anything. He would use it somehow, either to tease her or make her do things she didn't want to do, she was sure of that.

"Because I needed you." The interpretation of this sentence she left completely to Red. He seemed satisfied for now and she didn't expect him to comment on it. But of course he did.

"You think you needed me?" he bit out a short laugh and suddenly his palm was against her cheek. "You have no idea how much I need YOU…Elizabeth."

_Oh my god, _shot through her mind._ Full name…he used my full name. This is serious._

Just when her nerve endings were about to get used to his skin and comfortable to his touch, he withdrew his hand and smiled at her. Her body instantly started screaming for his touch to come back, to touch her one more time. Skin against skin and pure tenderness.

"And I do not mean it in a professional aspect."

"Wow…" she breathed. Thoughts whirling crazily in her head. "That was blunt."

"Sometimes it is the only way with women."

_And then he does that…_she thought, sighing inwardly. _And it almost started to feel like a romantic moment._

She focused on his face again but his it suddenly became unreadable and his gaze lost itself in the distance.

"Can you hear that?" he whispered distracted by something. She tried to listen into the wildness and her eyes grew wide when she heard it. Dogs. _Oh no…_

Flashbacks of memories rained upon her. Memories of running through the forest and finally hoping to be safe and then the big dog beside her. Barking.

She shook herself to get rid of the sickening feeling that ate at her growling stomach.

"We have to move." Her voice quivered slightly and she hated it.

"We have to find water." Red countered, seeing her gulp in fear at his suggestion.

* * *

tbc...

What ya think? Are you nice, warm and relaxed?;) Let me know:)

Oh and by the way, I have still no beta and I am really trying to eliminate all the mistakes but after writing for hours,the words are getting blury sometimes and the mistakes hide;)


	10. Cleansing Waters

Here it comes guys: another so called breather:) Wanna give ya a little break before we come to the finale;) No worries...it might take another three or four chaters but it IS getting nearer;)

Thanks to all the review givers! You are really a blessing to all of us writers!

Now, not too much talking,

Have fun reading:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

* * *

Cleansing Waters

Red didn't let go of her hand. His tight grip didn't waver for even a second, while he urged himself on to maintain the fast pace he had fallen into. The barks sounded louder now, but they were still far enough away, so they had a little bit of time to find the river Red had seen on a previous hike with Dembe a few months ago. It had to be somewhere here and the needed the help of water to make their trails disappear. Admitingly, it was an old and well known trick but why not fall back on old when it worked so well?

"They're coming nearer, Red." Liz panted behind him.

"I know."

The dark wasn't helping at all. The last time he had been here it was morning and everything had been gleaming in the sun and the water had sparkled, drawing their attention to it. His ankle was starting to pulse uncomfortably and he was feeling the beginnings of desperation hovering at the edge of his mind. Just when he was about to let loose a colorful curse, his eyes landed on an interestingly shaped tree. It was big but growing sideways from the ground and making a curve upwards in the middle of its body. He remembered that tree.

"It's not far anymore." He reassured her, correcting their direction slightly to the right.

Within minutes, both of them started to hear a whooshing sound. The further they walked, the louder it got until suddenly they reached the tree line and the ground under them stopped, only to decrease steeply and completely end at a fast flowing deluge of water, which roaring was almost deafening.

"No…no, no, no ,no." Liz murmured, starting to back away. Their still jointed hands were holding her in place though and she started to struggle against Red's hold.

"Calm down, Lizzie. I'm here. I won't let go, you hear me?"

"No…" she barked at him in panic. "You can go swim and drown, I am going to hide in the tree if I have to but I am NOT jumping in there!"

Without any warning Red pulled her to towards him with a forceful tug on her arm and encircled her in his arms when she collided into his body.

"I will NOT leave you."

His face was inches from hers and before she could protest, his warm lips were covering hers. The kiss was not at all sensual or tender. He pressed their mouths together, drinking in the feel of her sweet, soft lips. Liz was just beginning to understand what was happening, when the contact broke and she felt herself fall. Her arms flailing a scream stuck in her throat, she felt the ground under her feet disappear and a hand grasping her clothes.

The icy cold water felt like a brick wall when they hit it. The cold immediately seeped through their clothes and pricked their skin like thousands of little needles. Liz was still underwater and couldn't see anything. She wanted to scream, but when she opened her mouth, water made its way into her mouth and forced itself into her throat, making her hold back a gag. Her mouth snapped shut again, her limbs kicking wildly to get herself back to the surface. She felt her eyes sting but didn't know if it was because of the tears gathering or the water irritating them. Liz shut her eyes tightly and when she felt herself move upwards, she opened them again and started to gasp when she broke the surface. For a moment, she was spitting out water and trying to get rid of the tangy taste in her mouth, but soon enough she was once again gazing into Red's eyes. He had one arm around her waist and with the other, he was trying to keep them above water and on course.

"R…Red…" she stuttered, now holding on to him without shame. Her legs were starting to go numb from the cold and she did not like this feeling…at all. Some kind of memory wanted to surface but it didn't get through her panic stricken mind.

"Hold on. It's not gonna be long now." His voice was steady but the strain was obvious. Liz only nodded and tried to qualm the panic before it could rise even futher.

Red groaned quietly, tightening his hold on the woman in his arms. She was as stiff as a board, not being able to move a muscle more than an inch out of fear. She may not realize it but she was desperately trying to bring her body even closer to his and slowly his own body was starting to feel the coldness and was beginning to tire. The black trees around them were moving by fast and he couldn't see any place where it would seem to be safe to go out of the water, so he let them float further down the stream, not letting go of his precious burden attached to him. He felt her face press into his neck and he was only hoping that she was just trying not to see their surroundings and not loosing consciousness because she was starting to get too cold. He had seen blood coming out of her mouth but he was quiet sure that she had simply bit her lip or something, so he didn't dwell on it too long. But her slumping body DID worry him.

"No sleeping, Lizzie." He growled.

"I'm not." Though his skin muffled her voice, he was satisfied that she was talking to him. Red looked down at her, but with this action he wavered his attention far too long away from the things before him and the only thing he was able to see when he looked back up, was a black mass sticking out of the water and then his hips and legs collided brutally with something hard and unrelenting. The collision made him loosen his hold on Liz and both of them slightly bounced back and let go of each other.

"Lizzie!"

Shortly he lost her out of sight, panic rising, he franticly looked around and only when he heard her calling his name, Red calmed slightly.

Assessing the situation, Red felt the body of the tree trunk under the water and found it lying horizontally and guessed it would be stable enough to hold him when he climbed on it. He did just that and slipped one leg on either side of it, clamping his muscles so that he would have a good hold on it with his thighs. Sliding forward slowy, he found Liz clutching a branch and pinching her eyes shut, breathing hard and whimpering from time to time,, when a bigger wave of water swayed her wildly from side to side.

"Give me your hand, Lizzie." He urged her on, stretching his arm out to her, but she didn't even look at him, didn't flinch. There was no indication that she had even heard him.

"Elizabeth!" he yelled. "You will die! Trust me, and you will live! Give me your hand." He commended, afraid of what would happen if she didn't react. But she did.

Slowly she emerged a shaking hand out of the water and without looking up, stretched it in the direction of his voice. Without hesitation, Red leaned forward and snatched her hand, instantly starting to pull her out of the water.

"Let go of the branch." One more order and he was sure she would be safe. Back in his arms and out of the immediate danger. With an enormous effort Liz' fingers uncurled from the wood and Red started to pull her up in earnest now, but instead of pulling her completely to him, he started to move backwards in direction of the shore, with her still partially in the water. Red hadn't been sure if his strength would be enough to pull her out and then drag them both back, so he opted for a safe out.

Slowly he crabbed back along the tree trunk, taking Liz with him. When his legs finally found ground under them and he looked back, seeing a small sandbank, he swung one leg over the tree and stood up. Liz was kneeling in the water, still trying to catch her breath, but now looking at him with an odd expression in her face.

"C'mon…" Red whispered and bent down to turn Liz with the back to him and pull her up by the armpits. Her body way shaking like a leaf, pressing into him in hope to get some kind of warmth, but his body was almost as cold as hers. The only difference was that he was used to it.

"Talk to me sweetheart."

Through chattering teeth and quivers, Liz opened her mouth, turning her head so that she could look at him. Before he knew what was happening, cold lips enclosed his and a hesitant kiss was pressed against them. It was short, Liz withdrawing after only seconds but still looking at him.

"Don't you…ever …do…. that again." It was hard to understand what she was saying but Red's complete concentration was on her words.

"What? Kiss you?"

"No…" she smiled around the uncontrollable shakes that went through her body. "Use a kiss to take me by surprise…and make me….do something…I don't want to." She paused. "That wasn't nice."

"But necessary." For Red this conversation was finished with a better outcome than he had expected. He imagined her being disgusted by him and beating him into a pulp…at least when her strength came back. He didn't expect a kiss.

He held her close, wanting to drown in her scent and the warmth that started to enflame their bodies, but his mind screamed at him to take cover, to get themselves out of sight. And he listened to his mind.

"Let's go, sweetheart."

"Where…?" she asked exhausted, pressing her back further into his body heat.

"Somewhere safer than here."

xxxxxxxxxxx

When Red let her rest the next time, it was at least half an hour after they started to put distance between themselves and the river and both of them were dead on their feet.

"We will rest here." He stated, catching his breath and leaning against a tree. One hand was still keeping contact with Liz' shoulder, when she heavily sat down. Shivers were still running through her body.

"How are…our chances?" Liz asked between her chattering teeth. She closed her eyes, letting her head fall back and sighed contently when she suddenly felt warmth envelope her. Instinctively, Liz cuddled her body nearer, brushing her cheek over the wet shirt Red was wearing and drawing her knees against her chest.

"Better than it seems."

The answer wasn't as confident as Liz would have liked it to be but for the moment she was in heaven. The toasty warmth between their bodies was starting to warm her up and the exhaustion was starting to get stronger and stronger. Her eyes closed gentry and Red felt her body grow heavier and all her muscles relax. When he was sure that she was asleep, he buried his face in her damp hair, nuzzling it and promising himself, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, even if it would cost him his life.

Red listened into the night, not hearing anything unusual. Only the rustling of the leaves and the occasional call of an owl disrupted the silence of the night. And then he fell asleep.

tbc...

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I have to tell you that I am not very happy with this chapter. Basically I couldnt find the right words but I have my strange periods when this happens...so let me know what ya think:)


	11. Deal With The Devil

Alrighty...here comes the beginning of the end. I dont know how many chapters are still to come but I guess my predictions from the last chapter will be acurate enough;)

Here comes another info: there is a hiatus coming up. I hope that I will be able to post another chapter until wednesday but after that I am on vacation, so I wont be able to post...or better said to write;) So bottom line: two weeks of break for all of us from next thrusday;) But no worries, rebeccabraxton is right, I do have already new ideas jumping up and down in my head and calling "here";)

Now, just a word of warning for this chapter: You will need some tissues for this chapter...I do give you more of Lizzington though...;) well...with a little twist:)

Finally, I want to thank you all for reviewing! I am not getting tired of telling you that you guys are the best!

Now please have fun with the new chapter:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

* * *

Deal With The Devil

The bright light was blinding and the effort to open her eyes was almost too much for Liz. She stirred and slid her eyes open, blinking them shut and open again, when the first rays of sunshine hit her open eyes. She grimaced but the expression vanished when she became aware of the long arm encircling her waist and holding her still. She smiled. How things can change in extreme situations. Liz thought about her life and had to admit that since Red entered it so unexpected, it had been constantly in the extreme level. She broke off her musings to listen to the call of her bladder, which was screaming at her to find a spot to finally relieve herself before she burst. Slowly and carefully, Liz entangled herself from Red, mindful of his injured ankle and climbed to her feet, stretching her body from all possible angles, getting the kinks out of it. In a slow pace she went into a patch of dense bushes in hope to find the right spot as fast as possible and as near as possible. Getting lost wouldn't do her any good right now. She walked for five minutes until a perfect place caught her eye and she took care of everything fairly quickly, wanting to get back to Red before he woke up.

Only a few steps into the direction back to their camp, Liz was suddenly jerked backwards and her breath hitched when she felt a cold metal at her throat. A knife.

"Hello…Elizabeth." A deep, raspy voice whispered into her ear. Liz held her breath, trying not to inhale the stench coming from the mouth near her face. She didn't dare to turn around and see who was holding her, but she was sure that she her first guess would be right.

"Sergej." She hissed through her teeth.

"Listen up, honey. I won't hurt you. I just wanna talk."

Liz brows drew together. What was he talking about?

"Ok." She agreed immediately, her profiling mind telling her it could save her life.

"I am sure Raymond told you about me." He waited for her answer and when she nodded, he continued. "I want to make a deal with you." When Liz didn't answer, he just spoke again. "I promise you, I won't touch your precious Raymond if you do me a favor."

"Me? What could I possible help you with?"

A chuckle rang in her ears and her frown deepened.

"You still don't have a clue what you are able of, do you?"

"I am able to kick your ass the moment you let go of me." Liz scoffed, knowing from the firmness of his hold on her, he would never do that. He was determined to do something with her but it was beyond her understanding what this something could be. Wasn't he after Red?

"You see, my dear." He drawled sickeningly sweet. "You've been groomed from your birth to be a genius. You just don't know that and don't remember the lessons they gave you but with time and a bit of work on both sides, you would be back in the saddle in a flash."

"I don't have the slightest clue what you are talking about, Sergej. Just let me go and we can talk about this whole mess like normal people."

The laugh made her shiver. This guy really understood how to creep her out.

"I WILL let you go."

"You will?" stunned, Liz tried to turn around but Sergej's hold tightened.

"Yes I will…IF you make a deal with me." He sniffed at her hair and Liz felt nausea rising in her.

"I will leave your beloved Raymond alone. He will live until he dies of old age and he will never see me again." He paused.

"If I do what?" Liz asked hesitantly.

"You come work for me."

"What?"

"I have the resources to make you remember and the right places to use your talents. We will be a great team."

That's what Red had told her on their first case and Liz knew now that she actually had believed him. Wanted to believe him…but this guy had a complete different effect on her. He chuckled. "And of course you would save his life."

Their bodies were near enough that Liz could feel the heat emanating from him and her breath grew heavier.

"Don't worry." He whispered to her. "You don't have to decide now. I will wait for you. Tomorrow in the mall. At twelve. Don't search for me, I will find you."

Liz didn't move and didn't say anything.

"Just don't forget." He added. "I can find Raymond anywhere. You saw what I am able of, tonight. If you don't cooperate…this game has only the begun."

In a flash, he let go of Liz, thrusting her forward and by the time she turned around, Sergej had disappeared. Liz worked a shaking hand into her hair and pulled at it slightly in frustration. She turned around, searching for at least a small sign that she hadn't imagined this conversation. The heavy feeling against her throat and the slight itch inside it, was evidence enough. She did not dream this. He wanted her…in exchange for Red.

_Oh my god…what do I do now? Red will lose it if he hears of that. He will do anything to kill this guy. _Her thoughts were hammering in her head and when she heard Red's voice calling her, her decision was made.

"Lizzie?" Red stumbled through the underbrush and smiled at her, a questioning look in his face. "What are you doing here?"

Liz swallowed, briefly closed her eyes and then plastered a smile on her face and turned to face him.

"Nothing." She gushed at him. "I was just searching for the ladies room." She gestured jokingly with her arms at her surroundings. "It' kinda hard to find, you know?"

Red narrowed his eyes at her. She seemed…different. Too playful. Too happy.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeeeah…" _oh boy…how more obvious could I be? _Liz admonished herself, still grinning at Red.

"Okay…" he didn't seem to believe her completely but to her astonishment, Red seemed to want to let go of it. For now at least. "Can we make our way to the clearing over there?" he asked her.

"Why the clearing?"

"Because I can hear a chopper in the distance and if I am not mistaken, and let's be honest I rarely am, it sounds like Mr. Kaplan's private one."

"You actually recognize the sound?"

"I worked closely with pilots…once upon a time." He smirked, walking to her.

"Wow…you are never going to cease surprising me, do you?"

"Nope. Even if only with a breakfast in bed." Winding an arm over her shoulder, he laughed at her open-mouthed surprise.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Aaaah…what a tremendous relieve to be able to wear fresh clothes." Red sighed, coming into the main room of a suite, he and Liz had chosen to stay in for the time being. They had already eaten sandwiches and then tool turns in the shower.

Liz was sitting, already freshly scrubbed at the huge king sized bed and was playing around with a cord, decorating the duvet cover. She was looking down, fiddling around and looking more than awkward.

Red drew nearer, his expression changing from curious to gentle knowing. Delicately, he sat down next to her and touched her arm. It was a feather-like contact and Lizzie would have missed it, if it hadn't been for Red's sigh.

"We have to talk, Lizzie. Can you look at me?" he lowered his head, searching for her gaze and when he finally found it, he was petrified to find sadness and tears there.

"Sweetheart…."

"I'm sorry…." She apologized, trying to brush the few spilled tears from her face, but Red's hand held her back. Instead, his thumb softly caressed her face until all the tears were gone. Her rosy cheeks were soft and Red marveled the feel of something he hadn't felt for decades and had been sure he wouldn't feel anymore until he died.

"Don't apologize, darling. You make me the happiest man in the world for letting me touch you." The tender shine in his eyes made Liz heart break in two. Tomorrow at this time, she would be in the company of a brutal killer, working with him and probably see Red never again. She felt herself already tearing apart from missing him. His antics and his attention. His crazy pet-names and his infuriating riddles…games…and those hands and touches, just brief contacts that made the butterflies in her stomach go crazy, her pulse quicken. And the looks…who would have thought our story would end like this?

"You don't have to say anything." Red huskily told her. "I know it was foolish and arrogant of me to believe that you would even consider having a more…intimate relationship with me."

"What?"

"You don't have to worry about a thing, darling. I will not pressure you into anything and I will keep my distance if you wish so."

"What are you talking about?" Liz asked, bewilderment evident on her face.

"You obviously were regretting our kisses. And I understand."

"What?...No…"

Whatever she was planning to do tomorrow, she wouldn't allow him to think that she didn't want him. If it was the last thing she did in her old life, she would make sure that her feelings for him had grown in the last few months into something she hadn't wanted to admit to herself. Until now. Until she was thrust into a position where she could lose him forever.

"No need to explain." He whispered, smiled and made an attempted to rise. At that moment she chose to take her chance. Before he got even half way to a standing position, her hands were on either side of his face and her weight pulled him back onto the bed.

"I know it is not your style to run away." She smiled. "Or to give up. Why would you start now?"

His questioning look was on the one hand amusing and heartwarming but on the other hand it was torture. She knew she shouldn't let him harbor any hopes to crush them later by disappearing. She knew that but she couldn't deny herself another evening with him in peace. Besides, she was sure that he wouldn't take her disappearance any easier even if she told him that she didn't have feelings for him. It would only hurt him twice as much as only her disappearance. And maybe, he would even understand why she'd done it. She inhaled and looked into his eyes, trying to convey her feelings through her gaze.

"I…I feel something…" she cleared her throat, thankful that Red was patiently waiting for her to continue. "You exploded into my life…made me question my husband, my whole life. I hated you for it."

Liz didn't see trepidation in his eyes. She saw pure affection and understanding, which gave her the courage to continue. "But then you did something…it started with you saving my life constantly and then came the Music-Box. You worked so many hours on it…just…just for me." She shook her head, still in disbelief. "After I called you a monster, insinuating that you were lying to me. And although you never tell me the whole truth…maybe not even half of it, you are still the most honest man in my life."

Just when Red wanted to say something, Liz laid a gentle finger on his lips.

"Now it is my turn to talk, Red." When she was sure that he would listen, she lowered her gaze.

"I started to feel…strange around you. Not in a bad way, but it was strange. By the time I found out you ehm…did what you did to my dad…." She paused, gauging his reaction. But there was nothing. "…by that time I knew that the feelings that were growing for you, were not professional." Her arms fell into her lap and his hands were immediately enclosing hers.

"I think that's why I reacted how I reacted. Why I didn't want to listen to your explanation." She laughed humorlessly. "Betrayed by her husband and the only person she is starting to trust kills her father. It sounds like a typical novel, but sadly this is my life and at this moment…I couldn't deal with another person betraying me."

"I've never intended to betray you." The pain in his voice moved her and she actually believed him. She hadn't known at that time but when she finally let him explain it to her a few months ago, she believed him but didn't know it at that time.

"I know." She told him in a light voice, telling it also to herself. "I can't say that I forgot…I never will and I don't know if I can really forgive someone killing the man who raised a child that wasn't his own so selflessly. But I certainly think that the good is outweighing the bad and I simply…can't ignore those feelings."

"Oh Lizzie." His face softened into a relaxed state and his hands wandered to her face once more, holding it in his hands. Slowly he neared her face and when their lips touched for the third time there was no embarrassment or hesitation. They explored the feeling and when they finally parted, Liz sighed contently.

"Can you hold me tonight?" the innocent request made Red's heart beat faster and when he nodded, he was sure that he was asleep and dreaming.

He watched Liz climb under the blanket and look at him expectantly. He smiled in answer and followed her lead, finding himself next to her within seconds. Liz' glittering eyes didn't leave his for even a split second, while she slid across the bed, closing them at the first contact their bodies made. Red's arm automatically worked their way around her and gently tugged her into his side, with his cheek coming to rest on the crown of her head. He could feel her relaxing and her breathing coming slower.

"I will never let you go, sweetheart." He promised, pressing her kiss into her hair.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Liz' felt a gentle touch on her arm, traveling from her wrist to her shoulder in random patterns. She felt goose bumps forming on her skin and sighed. Such a gentle touch was something she had craved not only since she'd shot Tom but already before that. Tom never had been one for gentle touches in the morning and romantic moments. He had been more of a practical type of man who liked to come down to business as fast as possible, which in the beginning of their relationship hadn't bothered her. Maybe because she never had anyone to show her how beautiful it could be to be shown love and affection through non-physical action. Like building a music-box or make her heart flutter with only one simple compliment. She had never had those reactions with Tom when he told her "she looked hot".

While she was musing, the hand caressing her arm wandered to her hand and wrist, where it concentrated on drawing circles over her scar. Liz shivered and opened her eyes.

Red was already neatly clothed, sitting on a chair beside the bed, with an expression Liz had rarely seen on him.

"Good morning." She whispered, her voice still hoarse from sleep.

"Good morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling today?"

Liz thought about the question and shrugged. "Better." At least it wasn't a complete lie.

"I ordered breakfast for us." He told her, leaning back and she already missed the contact. "You want to eat in bed?" he asked, smiling at her, making his way already to the cart, that was obviously brought to their suit while she was sleeping.

"Oh yeah. You're not afraid of crumbs in bed?" she surprised herself with the playfulness in her tone and was happy that Red didn't seem to mind at all.

"Nope. I know you can eat without losing half of it."

Liz rolled her eyes, excepting the tray he handed her with her breakfast on it. Classical scrambled eggs with bacon and a glass of juice were making her mouth water and when she looked back to the cart, she saw even more dishes there.

"What else do we have?"

"It's dessert."

Liz licked her lips, making Red chuckle.

"No worries," he said. "There is enough for a whole army of our clones."

"Oh my…what a scary thought."

Red joined her with his own tray and silence fell over them while they ate. Liz heard a clock chime somewhere and suddenly her blood ran cold. How could she forget? Her chewing got slower and she stole a glance at the clock on the wall. Ten in the morning. Two more hours until she had to break Red's heart. Until she threw her life away. Until she sold her soul.

"Everything alright?" Red's voice cut like a knife through her thoughts and her head whipped in his direction.

"Yeah, of course." Her voice was too high and she knew Red recognized her lie. "I just thought about going to the mall. I need clothes."

"Dembe saved all the clothes we bought yesterday." He reminded her, taking a sip from his own juice.

"Ehm…" Liz thought desperately for something to say. "Ehm…I just thought that the clothes we bought were all very glamorous so to speak and the only casual outfit I had, got ruined yesterday. Again."

"You're right. Although I wouldn't complain seeing you in those short dresses we bought."

Liz wanted to laugh and feel honored that Red actually wished to see her in something sexier but the situation at hand allowed her only to smirk at him.

The food was wolfed down in only half an hour and Liz hurried to get dressed in record time. Red wondered what was going on but didn't ask. After the day they had, they were all allowed to act weird to some extent. But there was one thing bugging him about this trip to the mall.

"We cannot leave without security."

Liz' face seemed to pale.

"We have Dembe…"

"We had him the last time too." He eyed her nervously fiddling hands but didn't comment on it. "I will make a call and Mr. Kaplan will send some of her man within the next hour. And then we can go."

Liz knew arguing would be pointless. She simply needed to find another way to meet Sergej without Red noticing.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

They entered the mall quiet late, leaving Liz with only fifteen minutes to cut herself off Red and their three extra bodyguards.

"Where to first?" Red asked seemingly relaxed.

"Maybe to the shop I found the last casual outfit?"

"Perfect idea." He laid his hand on her lower back and guided her into the right direction.

Liz couldn't stop looking around herself, searching for Sergej in the crowd but she couldn't spot him anywhere. How could he find her? How could he know where she was? Where Red was? They had changed clothes a lot so there couldn't be a bug in them and their car was going through a security check every morning and evening. It was as if he was in their heads…. She didn't get the opportunity to think more about it, since a big sign for the restroom caught her eye. The perfect opportunity.

"Red? May I go to the restroom very quickly?" she asked politely in a hushed voice, trying not to seem to desperate.

"Of course. " he answered, gesturing to one bodyguard to follow her, but she halted him.

"Alone, please? This is getting embarrassing."

"We are not safe here." He argued equally polite, but determined to do anything to protect her.

"Please?" she knew what was working on him. Doe eyes and a nice "please" would do the trick for her. For others it may bring the consequences of poking their eyes out or something similar but he didn't seem immune against her charm as much as she wasn't against his.

"Alright." He huffed. "But he will go in there and check the rooms out before you go in."

She nodded. At least something.

The bodyguard vanished for a few minutes and came out, reporting of seeing no one and finding only a closed window that wasn't possible to be opened from outside. Liz looked at Red and fought against the tears she felt coming. The window made it the escape plan perfect and there was no secret hope of not succeeding anymore. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips that lasted only a second, and then she turned abruptly and walked through the swinging door, leading to the rest room, leaving a stunned red behind her.

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Do you hate me now?;)I was so kind and didnt even create a BIG cliffhanger;) Let me know what ya think:)


	12. Brain Over Matter, Love Over Brain

Hi there! between shopping, packing and all that I managed to write a longer chapter than intended and to give you guys a last two and a half weeks hiatus!

I am sure if you don't hate me yet for the last ending you will hate me now but you know me;) I love cliffhangers:) whoops...shouldnt said that...I am spoiling;) See it as a warning:)

I hope you'll enjoy the chapter anyway:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

* * *

Brain Over Matter, Love Over Brain

Liz entered the restroom, opening all the stalls to see if there was really no one in there. When she was satisfied with the result, she focused her gaze on the only window in the room. It was small but she would be able to get through it. As fast but also as careful as possible she opened the door and stepped onto a bin, to pull herself up and squeeze through the small opening. With a thump, she landed on a patch of grass. Shaking her head and brushing the hair out of her face, Liz climbed to her feet and worked her way through a few bushes back to the front of the mall. If she could only find out HOW Sergej was tracking Red. If it was someone on the inside of Red's team…it could be a problem of catastrophic proportions. Maybe she could help to eliminate the danger waiting for Red.

She reached the main entrance and stepped inside, but before she could get to the stairs, an arm slid under hers, linking their elbows and pulling her back to the entrance.

"Hello Elizabeth." The smell coming out of Sergej'S mouth was once again repulsing and Liz didn't answer, fearing to inhale to much of the stench.

"I was wondering how you would get here with Raymond, protecting you like a lioness his cub it was surely a tricky thing to do. The classic climbin out of a window stuntt was a very nice touch. A bit uncreative but I have to say that I am impressed by the way you made our dear friend let you go alone in there. He must really have a thing for you."

"I am here." She spat at him. "Now let's get to business. What do you want me to do."

"Not so fast. We are partners now. Why don't we go to my HQ and get to know each other."

Liz dug her heels in and stopped walking, jerking Sergej back.

" . ?" her temper was rising and she knew that as long as they were in public he wouldn't do anything drastic. This wasn't about scaring them or showing off anymore. She just left the man behind, who was the only one she could trust and she was not in the mood for games. _Maybe you should have thought about that earlier…, _her brain laughed at her, but she knew exactly why she did what she did. _I lost my husband…I lost my dog, my house and my father…I have no one…except Red. I won't let him suffer just because he wants to protect me…I am not going to lose another person I love! _At the word love, her brain stopped its arguments and kept silent.

She watched Sergej's face turn red and he drew closer to her.  
"Don't mistake me for someone as foolishly gullible and easy to manipulate as your Raymond. I will NOT let you act up with me. I will NOT take a "no" for an answer to my requests. Understood?"

"Alright." Liz told him. Better to stay on his good side for now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Red was tapping his uninjured foot impatiently and looked at his watch. She had been in there for ten minutes now. Lizzie never needed that long. He sighed and regretted his next move already, bracing himself for a shouting match with Lizzie.

"Go in." he told the bodyguard who had checked the room out before and watched him once again disappear behind the swinging doors. Better this guy's head than mine, he smirked internally.

His eyes narrowed when the man came out without a fuming Liz.

"It's empty."

"What?" instantly Red was moving. The doors were banged open, and the empty restroom stared mercilessly back at him.

"What…?" Red gasped. He tried to compose himself and suddenly he felt a draft from his left. Looking up, his eyes found the open window and he cursed.

"Find her!" he barked. "Right now."

Red listened to the hurried footsteps leaving the restroom and one pair coming slowly nearer.

"What happened?" Dembe asked. Still looking at the window, Red answered quietly.

"I don't know…yet."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Liz was sitting in a car, very similar to Red's and observed Sergej typing something into his laptop. His voice startled her but also made her eyes go wide when she heard what he said.

"He is in the restroom now. Send the boy."

She watched in horror, a boy of maybe 10 years being led by a bodyguard to the entrance. A child as an intermediary. Of course. Red would never hurt a child.

She looked back at the laptop-screen and spotted a red dot on a map, blinking rhythmically. _So they really have Red bugged… but how in the world would they be able to do that when he had changed his clothes at least three times in the last two days and was stripped completely bare, leaving only one possible way to bug h…_

Suddenly the answer crashed into her mind. _How could I've been so stupid? Why didn't we think of that earlier? The FBI chip…_

She gulped and felt tears of frustration rise. It would have all played out so differently if she just had stopped for a moment and THOUGHT about it. How was she supposed to shut the chip down now? As far as she knew, the FBI had no connection to the chip anymore and they weren't tracking him…since they simply tracked her own cell phone and fact was that she was almost always with Red. But it seemed that the chip wasn't really deactivated. So either the FBI WAS still spying on him or Sergej had found a way to activate it, but in the end it didn't really matter. Fact was that Sergej could see where Red was anytime he wanted to. Liz felt anger rising in her once more and she really wanted to just strangle the man in the front seat. But there were too many bodyguards around. She wouldn't stand a chance. So she waited patiently for his next move.

xxxxxxxxxx

Red was still standing in the restroom with Dembe when a timid knock sounded at the door. Both men turned around, seeing a little boy pocking his head in.

"Are you Mr. Raymond?" he asked quietly.

Red tried to not show his surprise but couldn't hold back a brow-lift.

"That would be me. Who are you?" his gruff voice couldn't be described as pleasant but it wasn't too scary either, so the boy entered the room fully and smiled.

"There was a man outside. He gave me ten dollars, asking me to give you a message from him."

Red took a few steps in the boy's direction, kneeling down to his eye level.

"Tell me." He encouraged.

"He said I am to tell you, that Sergej is greeting you. And that Elizabeth came to him. That she will work with him now. I am also to tell you, that he thinks that you both have made the mistake to let personal feelings enter your lives. It's clouding your…ehm…"

"Objectivity?" Red tried to help the boy who pinched his face in concentration.

"No." he chuckled. "It was more like in…ind…indepscense."

"Independence?"

"Oh yeah…that's right."

"Did you see Elizabeth?"

"No…there was just this man who smelled really bad….and two or three other man."

"Where were they?" the tension was growing in Red.

"Up front. Just by the main entrance."

Red nodded to Dembe, who immediately moved to the door, hurrying to the appointed place.

"Was that all he said?" Red inquired.

"Yes, but while I was waiting I heard something. He told this other man that Elizabeth was stupid in thinking that she could safe you. He didn't say anything else."

"You are a very good boy." Red smiled at him, reaching into a pocket and handing him fifty dollars. He watched the boy's eyes sparkle and his mouth fall open.

"I will give you this money under one condition."

The boy nodded eagerly, his eyes not leaving the bill in Red's hand.

"You will never again trust a stranger. Don't talk to them don't take anything they offer. You can never know what they have in mind."

The boy's face twisted into a frown, thinking deeply. Red put his hand on his shoulder, patted it gently, and with the other hand, offered him the money.

"Now scoot."

The boy took the money, mouthed a "thank you" and ran out of the room.

Red stood up and took his fedora into one hand, to slide the other one over his short hair in frustration.

"Oh Lizzie, what have you done?" he muttered, looking up to the ceiling.

"Raymond." Dembe's voice made him look back down with a frown. "I saw a car driving away. I couldn't see who was inside."

"It doesn't matter. It is certain that he has her."

"Didn't Jones say that the windows couldn't be opened from outside?"

Red chuckled and turned to the window.

"From the outside, no it can't. But from the inside."

Dembe looked at him questioningly, not understanding what Red was insinuation.

"She went to him, Dembe. He either offered her something better than I can or he intimidated and blackmailed her. And to be honest, Dembe, as far as I know our Lizzie, she wouldn't have gone to him out of her own free will because he offered her money."

"And what if he offered her the truth?" Dembe asked with a dark expression on his face. He could see the emotions playing over Red's face.

"The boy said Sergej couldn't believe that Lizzie was so stupid to believe she could safe me. I can't believe anything else than that she wanted to help."

"Liz isn't stupid." Dembe reminded him.

"No…" Red sighed. "But she is in love. And that, is one thing Sergej is right about. When you let personal feelings become to important to you, you lose your independence and objectivity. You are not only looking out for yourself but also for the one you care about. That's what she is trying to do. I refuse to believe anything else."

xxxxxxxxxx

"Where are we going?" Liz asked, looking out the window. Nothing looked familiar to her but they had been driving for only about an hour.

"To a place where you will learn something about yourself."

Although she had begged Red for exactly that for over a year now, the prospect of what Sergej was offering made her feel uneasy.

They hadn't talked the whole drive over but now Liz was getting curious and worried. When the car came to an abrupt halt, Liz clutched the golden pendant she had gotten from Red a few weeks ago. It was a ying and yang symbol, made out of pure gold, silver and holding two small diamonds in it. She had loved it the instant she laid eyes on it and had never taken it off since then.

The door was wrenched open and a hand grasped her upper arm, dragging her outside.

"Now, beautiful." Sergej met her halfway and smirked at her.

"We prepared something for you."

In silence, they walked over a clearing, ducked under low hanging branches and finally reached a river, most possible the same Red and Liz had taken their bath in the night before. The only difference was that a bridge was built over the fast flowing water at this place. Liz was already slowing down at the sight of what was lying before her, but the two bodyguards nudged her from behind. When they were about to enter the bridge, Liz stopped, fighting against the hands holding her.

"No." she whispered. "I can't. I have this phobia, you know? You will have to show me whatever you want to show me somewhere else."

"Oh but my dear, you are here BECAUSE of your phobia." He laughed. "Not only will Raymond find your corpse eventually, with my help of course, but he will know that you were scared to death while dying." While speaking he got nearer and nearer until his nose was touching hers. "A slow…painful…death."

The horror in her eyes made him chuckle.

"You didn't really think that I would work with you, did you? That you were special?" at that he laughed even harder.

"My sweet child, I have not lied to you. You HAVE been groomed and you did have the potential of a genius." With pity, he looked down at her. "But now? You have been corrupted by life….by the lax education of your "father" and finally by Raymond Reddington." He shook his head at her tears.

"This is a sign of weakness." He spat and pointed at her face. "Such a talent ruined." After a short pause, a smile appeared on his face and he bent down to see into her eyes more intently.

"Actually, I don't really care about your corruption. I want to hurt Ray. Want him to suffer before I kill him. And those feelings you two have….it's embarrassing really and…"

"It is NOT embarrassing!" she yelled through her tears. "Only because you are not human enough to feel those things, it doesn't mean that we have to be ashamed of…" before she could finish her sentence, a hard slap made her gasp. She could taste blood and was relived to assess that she had only bitten her tongue. Slowly she turned her face, fixed her eyes on the man before her and spat the blood at him with all the hatred she could feel. Immediately another slap followed, but this time her ear was ringing and she had to shake her head to get her mind back on track.

"I do not tolerate such behavior." He stated coldly. "But let me tell you a word of advice, although it won't help you a lot in the future, given the situation you are in." he smirked and once again stepped nearer. Trailing the tip of his nose over swelling skin of her cheek he had just slapped so brutally. "Love makes us blind. Feelings make us vulnerable. You've always been his biggest soft spot beside his family. THIS killed you and him. Not me."

Liz jerked her head away from him. He was sick. HE was a monster. She didn't have time to contemplate anything further, because she was brutally shoved onto the bridge and halted in the middle of it.

"Get it up." Sergej commanded one of his man, who instantly got to work on a rope hanging over the bridge and pulled something up. When this something appeared over the edge, Liz held her breath. A metal box appeared, looking big enough to put a big dog inside. It was dripping with water and when the man dragged it over the railing and let the box fall down, Liz could see wheels on the bottom of the box. Sergej stepped next to it, played shortly around with a locket and opened a door. He looked smiling at Lizzie and gestured to the open box.

"Please enter your coffin, my lady."

"Oh god…" Liz rasped, struggling in the bodyguards grip. "Please no…" she was panicking and she knew that was the last thing she should do but she couldn't help it. There was no way of Red finding her here before she would die in this thing.

She tried to fight, pleaded, screamed, kicked and slapped around her but nothing helped. In seconds, she was in the box and the door behind her closed, bathing her in darkness. Her breathing was coming in short pants, and her face was puffy from crying. When she felt the box moving over the planks of the bridge and then hit something else, probably grass, she started pounding against the metal. By the time she heard water lapping against the walls, her hands were cut, raw and at some places gruesomely bloody. She felt a hard push against the box and then there was silence. Only her harsh breathing was assaulting her ears. More tears spilled but they mingled with the water dripping slowly from the ceiling. With one more act of strength, she tried to push against the top of the box but nothing budged. With a frustrated cry and sob, Liz let herself slump against the one of the walls and laid her head on her knees, her hand wandering to the pendant once more. How would she die? Drown, or would the lack of oxygen kill her first?

tbc...

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Now again the question: you still like me?;) Let me know what you think:)

P.S. Since I was trying to be as fast as possible there may be some more mistakes than usual...so sorry for that:)


	13. Game Over

Hi there! I am back from my hiatus! So glad to start posting again!

Thank you so much for all the comments for the last chapter and I am sorry I didnt thank you personally with PM's but I was so busy with packing and all that, that it kinda slipped my mind completely and now it feels like being too late. So I thank you all and I hope you're all still with me:)

I dont want to bore you now and will just post the new chapter

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (For details, please go to Prologue)

* * *

Game Over

Red sat in the seat of the helicopter that had rescued them the day before and played around with a pendant in his hand. It was the same ying and yang symbol Lizzie was wearing but a lot heavier and without a chain.

"Where are they?" he grumbled, knowing that Dembe would hear him anyway.

"They stopped a minute ago at the river. There is a clearing not far from there where we can land."

Red nodded. "Let Mr. Kaplan's men arrive first. Five minutes head start. We don't want to confront him with my humbled self, first."

Two minutes later a crackling sound shrilled in the small space and Mr. Kaplan's voice could be heard.

"We have surrounded the enemy. No sign of Miss Keen. We are awaiting orders."

Red frowned, but didn't hesitate to take the headphones with microphone in his hand, speaking into it.

"Get them. Do whatever you please with them but find out where Lizzie is. I will be there in two minutes."

He threw the headphones at the seat opposite him and looked out of the window.

"Don't worry." Dembe said, lying a hand on his shoulder. "Liz will be alright."

"I don't wanna burst your bubble, but you cannot possibly know if she will be alright or not."

"No…" Dembe answered, not looking away. "But I can believe. And you know what people say about believe."

Red didn't say anything to that, only nodded jerkily, pressing two fingers against his lips and looking away, sinking back into deep thoughts.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Liz felt breathing getting harder from second to second and the water was already covering her thighs. She groaned and tried to slip her legs from under her and sit down in a more comfortable position. Why die and feel uncomfortable doing it? A humorless laugh wanted to press out of her chest but she held it back.

She wasn't feeling the tears streaming down her cheeks anymore. The lightheadedness wasn't that easy to ignore though. The black dots dancing in front of her eyes were trying to lure her into sleep. Almost calling to her but Liz was stubbornly keeping her eyes open. Although she wasn't harboring any feelings of hope anymore, there was still something keeping her from just giving up.

Leaning her head back against the metal, she felt her lips tremble and her hand still clutching the pendant. She knew it was crazy but somehow it felt to her as if it was vibrating slightly. Just a hum really, but to think about it further was just too arduous. The water trickled and dripped around her without her noticing it anymore. She had closed her eyes, inhaled a few more shaky breaths and then just waited for something to happen. For the water to reach her mouth or maybe the air to finally get too thin to breath. The stinging in her battered hands was getting easier to bear. Her whole body started to grow numb and a tingling sensation made its presence known. First at her lips and then her legs.

Just before she slipped into the peaceful darkness, Liz could here roaring sound getting louder.

But she didn't care anymore.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Red jumped lightly from the chopper and walked slowly to the wooden bridge where Mr. Kaplan, and her men were standing. Each of the men was holding one of Sergej's goons and Sergej himself was kneeling on the planks, tied to the railing. Red neared Sergej with a casual swing in his step and when he reached him, bent down, smiling coldly into his face.

"Ah…Sergej. Long time no see. I'm glad you are one monster easily slayed."

Sergej only sneered at him, struggling at his binds.

"Where is Elizabeth?" Red asked no one in particular. He didn't care who answered as long as someone did.

"He doesn't want to tell." Mr. Kaplan answered. "That's why they are all still alive."

Red's head turned back to Sergej, narrowing his eyes and licking his lips.

"Where is Elizabeth?" he growled. When a smile appeared on Sergej's lips, Red's temper rose suddenly.

"Where is she!" he yelled at Sergej. His voice echoing back from the forest.

"No need to scream my old friend. I guess you took a bit too long to get here. But I WILL tell you that your little wild cat was actually defending your…ehm…liason. Wasn't she a cute thing?" Red's hand was within seconds around Sergej's throat, squeezing slowly his life out.

"I will not ask again."

Sergej cackled, making Red cringe but just when he was about to remind Sergej what he was capable of doing to him if he didn't comply with his request, his eyes drifted for a second to the railing and stayed fixed on a rope, looking taut, as if something heavy was pulling on it.

Without a word, he straightened, prying his fingers from the man's throat and, still limping slightly, went to the rope. Looking over the wooden railing, he saw the rope leading into the water and looking strangely sturdy, making the flowing water divide.

"Dembe…" Red called, while taking off in direction of the water, pain in his ankle forgotten for the moment. "Pull it up."

Red's heart was racing. When he heard Sergej yell at him exactly what he was fearing, his heart almost stopped.

"You're too late! She's dead by now!"

Red didn't care that his expensive leather shoes would be ruined after this day and he didn't care that the bandage on his ankle would probably get ripped off by the current. He ran full speed into the water and started to swim to the rope that Dembe was trying to pull up with the help of two other bodyguards. When he caught the first glimpse of the metal, Red cursed.

"Hurry Dembe."

No answer was forthcoming but he could hear the men grunting under the strain. Only seconds later Red recognized a door and immediately started to search for a handle under the water. Finding only a chain and a lock, he felt the urge to march out of the water and simply kill Sergej. But there was time for that later. Now he had to think clearly. Treading water, he was getting tired, since his ankle was burning with pain again.

"Mr. Kaplan, I need the keys. He must have keys. He heard a bit of a commotion on the bridge but tried to concentrate on the box in front of him.

"Lizzie, can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Elizabeth, answer me!"

But sadly there was no answer, making Red's heart beat even faster and wilder. Suddenly something hit the top of the box. A bundle of keys in various sizes made him sigh in relief.

"You will have to try them all out. He isn't telling which one it is."

"Of course he doesn't." Red murmured while sifting through the keys, trying to guess which one could be the right one in order not to try every single one out.

One small square key made him stop shortand pray to someone he didn't have prayed for in decades. The box was now halfway out of the water and the lock was just slightly under surface. He noticed his hands shaking badly and he scolded himself at losing his bearings now.

He fiddled with the key but it didn't want to fit into the lock. He tried once more and then again and when his actions were still not getting any results, he hung his head for a split second.

"Lizzie!" he called once more, again searching for a key.

No answer came from the interior of the box and when he felt another small key jab itself into his palm, he thought _What the hell… _and tried to insert it into the lock.

He felt almost a ton of stones lift from his shoulders when the key slid in and the lock clicked open when he turned it hurriedly. It slipped twice from his hands and then it was sinking to the bottom of the river, discarded hatefully by a man who had lost too much in his life and who finally wanted to get rid of all the locks in his heart.

The door were heavy and hard to open. The water was pushing it shut the moment Red opened it more than an inch, fighting against Red's desperation to get Lizzie out. He still didn't hear anything from her and he could see water streaming out of the box.

"Oh god, please no…Lizzie!"

Finally he was able to maneuver his body between the door and the box, so that it wouldn't close on him again and then he saw her.

She was lying limply at the furthest wall from the door, her head lolling with every move the box made. He almost lost it completely when he saw one of her hands still slightly closed over the ying and yang symbol, handing from the necklace.

"For goodness sake…" he cursed, reminding himself to act not react.

He partially crawled into the tiny space and grabbed Liz' arms. The water was now reaching only her hips, although it was obvious that it had been up to her head since she was wet all over. He only prayed that she already had lost consciousness by that time and didn't inhale too much. He tried not to let himself think about the possible causes for her unconsciousness. He wouldn't allow himself to believe that she was dead. Her body was heavier than he would have thought and dragging her out of the box was quiet difficult. The last centimeters, he was huffing and puffing and groaning but sighed in relief when he finally felt her bodyweight fall into him and the water. As quickly as possible, he swam to the shore on his back, cradling Liz at his front and keeping her face over the water.

It took him only seconds but it felt like hours until he felt sand under his feet. Red felt strong arms lift the woman out of his arms and he reluctantly let go of her when he saw Dembe's familiar face.

"Check her pulse." He croaked, while working his way through the rest of the water. He watched his friend lie Lizzie down on the grass and kneel down at her side, reaching for the pulse point at her throat. He was digging his fingers into her skin quiet deeply and finally Red reached them.

"How does it look?"

"There is a faint pulse. But it's really weak."

Red let himself fall on his knees and leant down to position his ear at her mouth and nose.

"She's not breathing, Dembe."

After this sentence, everything was a blur of movements for both men. Dembe placing his hands on her chest and pushing down rhythmically and Red pulling her head back and breathing into her mouth.

"C'mon, Lizzie. Fight, damn it."

They both heard the laughing coming from the bridge and Red's nerves finally snapped like a fine guitar side.

"Shut him up!" he screamed in the general direction of his team, satisfaction flooding him when the sound of laughter suddenly vanished and a body hit the planks with a thud.

Red breathed once again into Liz' blue tinged lips and when he heard the first gurgle in her chest, he laughed out uncontrollably. Both men turned her on her side, encouraging her to get rid of all the water.

The process was starting slowly, with a view drops of water trickling from the corner of her mouth but when Red patted her back and massaged it in a circular motion afterwards, the coughing suddenly began.

Liz' body shook violently and the spluttering was interrupted by only a few choked breathes she took, only to cough again.

"That's right, sweetheart. Get rid of that stuff." Red encouraged her gently.

He didn't stop massaging her back, holding her left hand in his own just to feel her contracting muscles as a sign of her being alive. When she suddenly went still, he had the worst scenarios playing out in his head and bent down in fear.

"Lizzie, talk to me. Now." His voice once again shook. The quivering and quiet "Red…" was his undoing and he felt a tear slid down his face.

Slowly and carefully Red slid his arm under Liz' torso and lifted her up. Pressing her against his chest, he dropped a rain of kisses on her hair, finally nuzzling it and breathing in her smell.

"I am here…." He whispered. She wasn't shivering, that was a cause for concern, but right now he was overwhelmed by the feeling of her body, though cold and wet, but still Liz.

"Talk to me, Lizzie."

The wind felt like needles on her skin, but her eyes didn't want to stay open for more than a few seconds. Her head was still filled with cotton and her body felt like led. The warmth emanating from Red's body though was luring her in like light a moth and she leaned even further into him, feeling the wet fabric under her cheek.

"Red…" she once again got only that much out before closing her eyes again.

"That is not talking, darling." Red chuckled and Liz marveled at the rumbling in his chest.

Red felt her shift slightly and cuddle up into him.

"It is,,,your…hearing is just…not that good." Although she was gasping between the words, it was the best sound Red had heard in years. She would be all right and he laughed.

"Now YOU said that I am old." He joked back. Turning serious again he added:

"We have to go. I want you in a hospital."

"Sergej…he wants…still…to kill you."

"I know."

"I…wanted to help." she slurred.

"I know." Red whispered intensely into her ear, while straightening his spine a bit.

"No hospital."

"Don't be silly. You are going."

Liz simply didn't have any strength left to argue or to stand up on her own and just run away. For Red it was bliss to scoop her up into his arms and hold her close.

"Please…."

"Dembe will take you with the helicopter. You told me once you wanted to fly in one. Now you will get your wish."

"Don't…don't leave. Please. He'll kill you."

Red nodded to Dembe and he stepped in front of them, reaching for the woman in Red's arms, who was starting to squirm weakly. Red gave her a kiss on the head again and in the next moment, Liz found herself in Dembe's arms, which were also strong and protective but not nearly as comforting and warm as Red's. Somehow one of her hands had managed to stay clinging to Reds wet lapel, holding on weakly.

"No…" she tried to struggle, against Dembe's hold with closed eyes, but was held still by Red's hands. One was positioned on the hand grasping him and the other on the back of her head.

"Open your eyes, Lizzie." He whispered. She obeyed, albeit slowly and hesitantly. "Mr. Kaplan and her team are here. No one will hurt me. You understand?"

Liz looked around, noting Mr. Kaplan waving at her. She produced a small smile for the older woman and nodded.

"I'm sorry." She hated her pitifully weak tone but she couldn't help it. That was how she felt. Wet, hurting and to some extant confused.

"We will talk later, sweetheart. Right now, I want you to be taken care of. Checked out, warmed up and fed."

"You could…warm me up." She mumbled, closing her eyes sleepily for a split second but fighting them back open, so she wouldn't miss his reaction.

"I will." He laughed. "I promise you that. I will follow you in about an hour."

With a longing last look at him, she leaned back, her head against Dembe's shoulder and let herself be lulled back to sleep by the swaying motion of his gait.

Red looked after them until they disappeared in the helicopter and the motors started. Slowly he turned, the tender expression on his face was exchanged by a menacing glare, directed at the man lying on the ground.

"Now to you, my old friend."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The beeping sound woke Liz and she tried to raise her arm to rub her eyes to get rid of the haziness that was still clinging to her brain. It didn't work. Where was she? White walls, sterile smell…this could only be a hospital. And what was this? Something over her mouth and nose. Not heavy, but there anyway. Another try to get her arm to do what she wanted it to do, made it flop lifelessly over her belly and she sighed. Feeling the air hitting something and flowing back against her skin, she was quiet certain she was wearing an oxygen mask. Good. The feeling of not being able to draw a breath and her lungs burning was one she never again wanted to live through again.

_And I will never again go ANYWHERE near any kind of water in the wilderness, _she promised herself, before lifting her head an inch and making her eyes look around the small room.

"Good evening," the smooth voice felt like balm on her fried nerves.

"Red."

"I think I have never heard you say my name that often in one day. I should feel complimented, I assume."

"Where are we?"

""In a hospital not far from Washington. I didn't want to waste time and go to a busier hospital. This one I know is very efficient."

"Thanks for that."

Red stepped to her bed, a tender expression on his face.

"How do you feel?"

Liz smacked her lips and licked them. She felt like…she had been struck by a sledgehammer….

"I'm fine."

"Right." Red chuckled. "You don't look fine."

"Thanks."

A silence overtook them until Red cleared his throat and sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair right next to Liz' head. His serious expression wasn't foreboding anything good.

"We have to talk about this, Lizzie."

"I know." Obviously he had decided she felt good enough to talk. Liz felt her heart starting to race and she rolled her eyes when she heard the machine beside her confirm and display her nervousness with a loud beeping.

Red sighed. He didn't want to be angry with her. He could even understand why she had done what she had done but he was still a little disappointed that she hadn't trusted him enough to tell him what was going on. And he still didn't know how Sergej had gotten her to play along with him. Liz wasn't one to be persuaded easily.

"Don't be angry." She pleaded, the mask making her sound even more fragile than she felt. Before he could even react to her plea, her eyes welled up with tears, breaking his resolve to be at least stern with her. Leaning forward, he wiped the escaped tears from her cheeks and grinned.

"I am not really angry. I am…intrigued."

Liz' eyes grew wide. _Not angry? Just like that? _Then she remembered that Red still didn't know why she had gone to Sergej. At least not all aspect of it.

"You want to know how…right?"

Red nodded.

"He told me that he would let you go…if I worked for hm. Cause I was groomed…to be a genius…just forgot. He could make me remember."

Red squeezed her arm when she struggled to breath for a moment.

"I thought…" she continued. "…that I could work from the inside…and make him stop." The sarcastic laugh that came out of her was more like a cough but she didn't care. "I was so stupid. Genius…hah."

"Yes you were." Red told her seriously, making her glance at him wearily, concerned and slightly hurt. Did he really thing she was stupid?

"But not because you wanted to help…no….you should have told me what he was demanding…what you were planning. We would have found a way to make it play out without you almost drowning."

He shook his head at her.

"And I was planning to work on this fear with you. I think now it will take a bit more than just me holding your hand while walking into the water."

He could barely see the smile under her mask. The only thing telling him that she was amused was the sparkle in her eyes and the slight crinkle of her skin under them.

"You would…actually do that?" she asked, her tone now lighter.

"Of course. My dear, I am planning to take you to places where being scared of water is not the best thing in the world."

Liz slowly lifted her hand, only then noticing that it was bandaged, and grasped the mask, pulling it off her face.

"What are you doing?" Red asked alarmed by her actions.

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"I said kiss me." Her scratchy voice did nothing to diminish the want Red could here in it.

"And you say that I never cease to surprise you…" Red huffed in amusement, giving her what she wanted freely and happily.

Both were aware that Red hadn't commented on the claims Sergej had made about her being groomed, but for now they didn't care.

tbc...

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Please let me know what ya think:) I had to force myself to not write a cliffy again:) because you waited so long:)


	14. Involve Me, and I'll Understand

Here comes the last chapter. Only an Epilogue will follow tomorrow or the day after:)

Sooo guys we are nearing now the end of the story and somehow I will miss it. BUT there is the possibility of a Sequal as you all know, so dont be sad;) I can promise you that I WILL wirte a sequal at some point. I kinda like this story myself so yeah;)

Now I want to thank you all for reviewing and everyone who voted and please keep on voting so that the result will be distinct;)

Now I wish you fun with the last real chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for fetails, see prologue)

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Involve Me, and I'll Understand

"I told you this was a bad idea, Red. You never want to listen to me…"

"THIS IS a great idea. You just don't want to accept it."

Red and Liz were sitting on a pier of a lake, just a few kilometers from one of Red's houses in Croatia. The sun was shining mercilessly down on them and after staying there for already a week, even Liz was developing a slight bronze taint. After Liz had been released from the hospital two days after the horror trip had ended, Red had called Cooper, explained what had happened and told him she would take three weeks leave. When Cooper had started to argue, Red had simply hung up and told Liz that everything was cleared.

Only two days later they had arrived in this beautiful villa in Croatia and had lazed around for two days but then the fun for Red had started. The lake was beautiful and still, but was deep and big enough to show Lizzie that she was safe in water, as long as she trusted her own judgment and knew her limits. It had taken him two more days to convince her to set one bare foot into the water and now was the time for a full body dip.

Red hopped into the water, splashing Liz in the process and emerging from the water seconds later, grinning at her.

"The water is wonderful, sweetheart. Come on."

"I don't know. It's just…"

He watched her face, contorted by fear and embarrassment.

"I know you are scared." He told her softly, lying his wet hands on her thighs. "But I am here and I won't let anything happen to you. You know that, right?"

Nodding hesitantly, Liz finally scooted to the edge of the wooden pier, lying her hands firmly on Red's shoulders. She felt his hands wander to her waist, holding her steadily.

"Don't let go of me, alright?" she asked him in a small voice, when she slid off the edge. Instead of immediately letting her slide into the water, Red brought her body to his and let her arms instinctively clutch around his neck. Her face was hidden in his chest by the time she was standing chest deep in the warm water. The slight tremble that ran through her body made Red tighten his arms around her and kiss her hair.

"You alright?"

She only nodded and he sighed.

This was a big progress. After coming out of the hospital, Red had taken her to his current safe house and was crestfallen to see her having trouble to take a simple shower. She had never said anything until they had taken their relationship to a higher lever the first day in Croatia and Red had proposed to shower together. She had agreed but the five minutes under the spray were more like a marathon with Liz being the winner in getting out as fast as possible. When Red had asked her about it, she finally had spilled the beans and Red had put his foot down. After a heated discussion, Liz had agreed to a personal "swim-lesson".

And now, they were here. Standing In the water with Liz clinging to him for dear life.

"Lizzie, you have to let go now."

"Nope."

Red chuckled.

"Ok…." He agreed, patting her back. "You don't HAVE to but you SHOULD."

He felt her sigh on his skin and slowly her embrace got lighter, her body sliding down against his, deeper into the water. Although it were only inches, the water was reaching now almost her chin and her breathing was starting to speed up. Instinctively she was trying to rise her head higher, away from the water.

At that point Red let go of her and stepped back, severing their connection.

"No…Red." Her eyes grew wide and her arms reached out under the water to find something to hold on to, preferably some part of Red's body.

"Come here, Lizzie."

But she couldn't. Her body was frozen, almost numb with fear and rising panic. Red seemed to be miles away and it was just too hard to fight through the suddenly cold water enclosing. Pushing down at her.

"Move." He barked and a jolt went through her. She so wanted to go to him, to feel his skin again, to feel the security of his arms around her.

In spite of her newly achieved taint, her skin had become as white as a sheet now and Red felt concern rising in him. Although he wanted to, he knew it would be contra productive to go to her now. She needed to cross this bridge one her own. Beat the fear and free herself.

"I will tell you about your grooming, when you make it over here on your own." He told her. No one said he wasn't allowed to coax her into winning this battle.

"It was true?" she asked, looking at him with doe eyes and shining surprise.

"I'll tell you. I promise."

It's a funny thing, how curiosity can win so easily against fear, especially when the person is naturally soaking up information like a dry sponge. Liz' leg suddenly moved a bit and before she knew what happened, she had made a step in Red's direction.

"That's good, Lizzie. Only a few more steps."

She closed her eyes and just walked, feeling the water give way and letting her, finally, move. She didn't even notice when she reached Red. She bumped into him and opened her eyes. There he stood. Grinning at her like a mad man and wiggling his eyebrows.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" the smug look on his face made her roll her eyes, but her mind was too busy to think too long about his behavior and how it sometimes could rub her nerves raw.

"I thought he was lying."

The grin vanished from Red's face and he inhaled sharply.

"He didn't."

"How much do you know?"

"Only what I have gathered after getting you out of the house."

"Getting me out of the house? What…?"

Red was bouncing slightly up and down and looking at a spot in the distance.

"Can we discuss this somewhere else. I kind of feel a little bit dumb to do this standing chest high in water."

"No stalling, Red." Her voice was now firm, no trace of fear left.

Red didn't dare look at her, when he said the next words.

"It wasn't your father Lizzie. Who carried you out of the fire."

"Oh my god…" Liz slapped her hands over her mouth. "The scars! You didn't want me to ask."

"Right." Now he looked. Remorse in his eyes, he smiled at her sadly. "I didn't want to lie to you."

"I thought…"

"I know." His hand emerged from the water and the fingertips graced a hair strand. "I am sorry. I know it's hard to lose the only memory you thought was of your father."

Liz only nodded. Holding back tears. There was more she needed to know. More he had promised.

"The grooming?"

Red hand sank back into the water and he looked away again.

"Your parents were very wealthy. I can't tell you much more than that about them but as far as I know, they had you tested for…well…let's say special skills. You were….are very smart. And when I say smart I do not mean being able to recite a poem after reading it only once." He paused and smiled at her surprised look. "Yes I was at your Christmas parties in elementary school and I did talk with Sam about those poems. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement."

"I have a photographic memory for some things but what does that have to do with…" a finger laid on her lips, made her go mute.

"As I said, it's not just that. As a small child you were already able to do things, experts in their field weren't able to do. With other words, you were a protégée. You learned incredibly fast, making professors and high rank officers look dumb. That is something you can't unlearn but you CAN forget. An when you finally grew up without any training and partially losing your memory about your early years…well…you forgot." Red smiled at her. "It is there, somewhere. Under all the other things you have learned since then and sometimes those skills come forward, making you think that it was a lucky shot or simply luck but believe me, it isn't."

Liz brows furrowed, her head shaking slightly from side to side.

"So what?" I was a bit smarter than other kids were my age but why does this make me so special? Why didn't you want me to find out about that?" annoyance was lacing her tone now and Red knew he had to tread carefully.

"Lizzie, you're knowledge…your gift, could be dangerous for a lot of bad men and women out there, if someone "good" would train you."

"I am not a dog, Red."

"That is not how I meant it and you know it." He snapped back at her. "The FBI did that too. There is a reason why you had been on the top of your class and when you finished you had more than one job offer."

She blushed.

"The FBI just trained you wrong. They limited your brain to think only along the lines of a text book but there is so much more to it. If someone would get you into his hands who could train your brain on….let's say bad things….he could use you as a weapon." The pause brought only dense silence, until he continued in a lighter tone. "That's why Sam and I decided not to tell you or anyone else about your gift."

She watched him with an indefinite look in her eyes. He was scared of her reaction and knowing her, her reactions could be violent. He loved that about her but he preferred not to be anywhere near those explosions. To his surprise, Red didn't see any signs of her temper flaring. She seemed calm. Too calm.

"Teach me."

"What?" he was stunned. Shocked even. "What?" he repeated, still hoping he wasn't guessing her intentions right. Hasn't she listened to him?

"Teach me how to help catch the bad men, Red."

"No." he snapped, moving instantly past her and walked to the shore. The keening noise she made, made him stop and turn. Her eyes turned once again panic filled and her body went rigid, the water swaying around her.

"Shhh…calm down." He cooed at her, hurrying back to her side, enveloping her from behind. "I'm not leaving. Shhh…you're not alone."

"Don't…do that." She gasped. Her hands held his arm in a vice grip not even twitching to let go.

"I am sorry." He whispered into her ear in a calming tone and they both knew he wasn't just apologizing for scaring her.

"Teach me. I trust you." She stuttered, pressing her body to his. _Hang on to the connection, Liz…don't panic, _she told herself while waiting for his answer.

"It is dangerous, darling. There is a reason why this is one of the best kept secrets that I've got."

"You will protect me. You always do."

"Sometimes I can't."

Liz cringed a bit in shame.

"That was something else. It was my mistake. That I learned from. I've learned the hard way but I did. I want to help, Red. I don't want to feel like a pawn anymore. I am not, am I?"

Red thought for a moment. He had to admit it to her and to himself. Say it aloud and make it real for both of them.

"No. Not anymore."

She twisted in his arms and looked up to him. A smug grin adored her lips.

"I knew you wanted me as a pawn in the beginning."

"But I would have never risked your life. You have to know that."

His thumbs caressed her cheeks and when she nodded, his heart sang in joy.

"Alright. But we keep it quiet. No one will know about it, except us, Dembe and the teacher."

"What teacher? I thought you…"

Her words were swallowed by a chaste kiss on her lips. Red grinned.

"I am nowhere near qualified enough to teach you. One of my closest friends…he is specialist in teaching protégées."

Her skeptic look made him laugh and brush a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Don't worry. I won't let you out of my sight, sweetheart. I will be there by your side every step of the way."

Suddenly she grinned at him.

"I actually believe you that. You know that I found out that you had a tracker in my pendant, right?"

His brows furrowed. _How did she…?_

"No, I didn't need any genius strike. I simply asked Dembe."

Red groaned. Seemed like she had Dembe wrapped around her little finger too.

tbc...

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What do ya think? Does it change your vote or makes up your mind?:) Let me know!:)


	15. Epilogue

Ok, here it comes guys. The last part of the story:)

I had to change it quiet a bit, due to the fact that I wanna write a Sequel for it so it might sound strange at some points, sorry for that but I didnt want to let you wait too long, even though it is only a short Epilogue.

I want to thank you each each and everyone who took the time to read, fav'ed and followed this story and a special thanks goes to all the reviewers! I wouldnt have been able to write it that fast and have sooo much fun with it if it werent for you! **THANK YOU**

Now*sniff* here comes the last part*sniff* HAVE FUN!

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

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Epilogue

_Three weeks later…_

The wind was wiping through her hair and the moon was shining onto her skin that was, although she had now a slight taint, still genteel pale. Slowly she walked to the railing, gripping it quiet strongly and looking out over the endless sea. Liz hadn't wanted to wait with the lessons Red had promised and only a day after their talk she had met Dr. Sharper, a professor at a university in Croatia. After undertaking the first steps into her new life, she had remembered some tid bits of her childhood. One of them had been the event that made her develop her phobia of water. Strange thing, she didn't remember this event but had been still afraid. Her phobia had, thanks to hours of following therapy, reached a less dramatic level and she was even able to take a shower with Red.

She knew she would have to change "teachers" in the next few weeks. The two days with Dr. Sharper and her psychologist were only a temporary solution for the time they were on vacation and were supposed to evaluate her state of mind. On both cases, the results had been swiftly presented. The psychologist told her she was hovering on the edge of a depression and was totally stressed out. At that, Liz had only rolled her eyes. She could have told the dear doctor the same thing without six hours talking. Dr. Sharper didn't want to tell her the results of her IQ test. Reason being that he didn't want to put her under pressure and pressure could be hindering her following lessons with another doctor in Washington. The only thing he said, was that it looked promising. Liz had this strange feeling that Red knew once again more than she did but whatever the results were, she was looking forward to the lessons. The few hours of brain cracking riddles had been so fun that she would have done it again in a heartbeat. But for now she was happy to enjoy the view in front of her.

The water was shimmering in the pale moonlight and she marveled how beautiful nature could be.

"You're remembering it?" the gruff voice behind her made her jump slightly but then she smiled, looking back at the man who was now her constant companion. Best friend, lover and at times still a teacher. Liz was sure she would never stop learning from him.

"Yeah."

Arms were gliding around her waist, holding her tightly to his body. Red was still wearing his gray suit and Liz thought he looked drop-dead sexy in it. She turned in his arms, entwining her fingers behind his neck and smiling up at him, her eyes dancing with joy.

"I even remember what I wished for that night."

He didn't ask, only looked at her curiously. He had learned very early in their relationship that pressuring her into telling him something was only making her clamp up on the subject in question. If she wanted to tell him, she would. And the same rule she had learned to respect about him. Who would have known that they were so similar in that aspect?

"I wished for someone who would protect me. Be interested in my needs and respect my wishes." She paused, looking deeply into his eyes. "Who would love me for who I was and not for what I could do."

One of Red's hands lifted and traced a path over her cheek, stopping only when it was able to cup her cheek.

"And?"

"My mother was right. The creatures of the ocean DO grant you wishes."

She stood on her tiptoes, dropping a sensual kiss onto his lips.

"I just had to wait longer than expected."

**The End**

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Thank you guys for voing! The desicion has been made:)I wont tell but I think you can guess which one won if you look through the reviews;)

I will do my best to not disappoint you guys!

"See" ya soon!:)


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